GIFT   OF 


R.D 


CALIFORNIA   STATE   SERIES 


THIRD    READER 


BY 

MARTHA  ADELAIDE  HOLTON 

FOR  TEN  YEARS  SUPERVISOR  OF  PRIMARY  EDUCATION  IN  THE 

MINNEAPOLIS  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS.     AUTHOR  OF  THE 

"HOLTON  PRIMER"  AND  "INDUSTRIAL 

WORK  FOR  PUBLIC  SCHOOLS" 

MINA  HOLTON  PAGE 

FORMERLY    TEACHER    IN    THE    PUBLIC    SCHOOLS    OF 
SALT    LAKE    CITY,    UTAH 

AND 

CHARLES  MADISON  CURRY 

PROFESSOR    OF    LITERATURE    IN   THE    INDIANA    STATE    NORMAL 
SCHOOL.       AUTHOR    OF    "LITERARY    READINGS" 


ILLUSTRATED   BY 

FREDERICK   RICHARDSON 


APPROVED  BY 

THE  STATE  BOARD  OF  EDUCATION 


SACRAMENTO: 

ROBERT  L.  TELFER,  SUPERINTENDENT  STATE  PRINTING 
1916 


Copyright,  iQid 
By  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  STATE  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Copyright,  1916 
By  RAND  McNALLY  &  COMPANY 

In  the  compilation  of  this  book  certain  matter  from  the 
Third  Reader  of  the  Holton-Curry  Readers  by  Holton, 
Page,  and  Curry  has  been  used.  All  such  matter  is  pro- 
tected by  the  copyright  entries  noted  above.' 

1st  Ed.— 1916 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Thanks  are  extended  to  the  following  publishers  and  individuals  for 
permission  to  use  the  material  indicated: 

Small,  Maynard  &  Co.  for  "High  and  Low,"  from  Child  Verse  by  John 
Banister  Tabb;  Madge  A.  Bigham  for  "Blackie  in  the  Trap,"  from  Merry 
Animal  Tales;  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  for  "In  Trust,"  from  Rhymes  and 
Jingles  by  Mary  Mapes  Dodge,  and  "The  Night  Wind,"  from  Love-Songs  of 
Childhood,  "Little  Boy  Blue"  and  "Little  Blue  Pigeon"  (Japanese  Lullaby), 
from  With  Trumpet  and  Drum  by  Eugene  Field;  The  Youth's  Companion  and 
Anna  M.  Pratt  for  "Patience,"  originally  entitled  "A  Useful  Possession"; 
Julia  Darrow  Cowles  for  "How  Fire  Came  to  the  Indians";  Frank  Dempster 
Sherman  for  "The  Snowbird,"  from  Little-Folk  Lyrics. 

The  selections  from  Lucy  Larcom,  Celia  Thaxter,  Alice  and  Phrebe  Gary, 
and  "The  Four  Winds"  and  "Daisies"  by  Frank  Dempster  Sherman,  are  used 
by  permission  of,  and  by  special  arrangement  with,  Houghton  Mifflin  Com- 
pany, Boston,  the  authorized  publishers  of  the  works  enumerated. 

The  following  selections  are  from  the  publications  of  Rand  McNally  & 
Co.:  "The  Tongue-Cut  Sparrow,"  from  Japanese  Fairy  Tales  by  Teresa 
Peirce  Williston;  "The  Real  Princess,"  retold,  and  "The  Constant  Tin 
Soldier,"  from  Andersen's  Best  Fairy  Tales,  translated  by  Alice  Corbin  Hender- 
son; "Two  Brass  Kettles,"  from  Pilgrim  Stories  by  Margaret  B.  Pumphrey; 
"A  Dog  of  Flanders,"  retold  from  A  Dog  of  Flanders  by  Louise  de  la  Ramee. 


'// 


^ 


THE  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

DAISIES Frank  Dempster  Sherman 9 

THE  Fox  FAMILY A  Fable 10 

THE  Fox  AND  THE  ROOSTER A  Fable 13 

THE  CHILD  AND  THE  BIRD Margaret  E.  Songster 19 

THE  WISE  OLD  ELEPHANT 21 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION 23 

POOR  OLD  ELEPHANT L.  Frank  Baum 24 

THE  LAMPLIGHTER Robert  Louis  Stevenson 24 

THE  GIANT  AND  THE  PIGS A  Fable 26 

Two  FACES 30 

THE  GIANT  AND  THE  PIGS  (Dramatization) 31 

THEY  DID  N'T  THINK Phoebe  Gary 34 

BELLING  THE  CAT &sop 35 

BELLING  THE  CAT  (Dramatization) 37 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION 39 

THE  SHEPHERD  BOY  AND  THE  WOLF &sop 39 

ENUNCIATION  DRILL 41 

THE  FOUR  WINDS Frank  Dempster  Sherman ....  42 

How  TOMMY  RAISED  THE  WIND Marah  White  (Retold) 43 

THE  NIGHT  WIND Eugene  Field 45 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION 47 

FINDING  A  DARK  PLACE 48 

THE  CARPENTER Edward  Verall  Lucas 50 

BLACKIE  IN  THE  TRAP,  PART  I .  .  . Madge  A.  Bigham 52 

BLACKIE  IN  THE  TRAP,  PART  II 55 

THE  CITY  MOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN  MOUSE  Christina  Rossetti 59 

APPLESEED  JOHN (Adapted) 61 

Do  You? 65 

APRIL 66 

AN  APPLE  ORCHARD  IN  THE  SPRING William  W.  Martin 66 

THE  REAL  PRINCESS Hans  Christian  Andersen  (Retold)  68 

IN  TRUST Mary  Mapes  Dodge 72 

TOMMY  TINKER'S  CHARM  STRING Madge  A.  Bigham 73 

BUTTONS 77 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN,  PART  I Alice  Gary 77 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN,  PART  II 79 

5 


6  THE  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN  (Dramatization) 82 

THE  MAN  IN  THE  MOON Old  German  Tale 84 

EXPRESSION  THROUGH  FORCE 86 

EXPRESSION  THROUGH  WORD  PAINTING 86 

LITTLE  PILGRIM  PEOPLE,  PART  1 87 

LITTLE  PILGRIM  PEOPLE,  PART  II 91 

EXERCISE  FOR  ENUNCIATION 94 

THE  SNOWBIRD Frank  Dempster  Sherman ....  95 

MY  LADY  WIND 96 

How  FIRE  CAME  TO  THE  INDIANS Julia  Darrow  Cowles 97 

EXERCISE  FOR  ENUNCIATION 102 

SPRING Celia  Thaxter 103 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION 104 

MR.  AND  MRS.  SPIKKY  SPARROW Edward  Lear 105 

THE  Swiss  FAMILY  ROBINSON  DOGS (Retold) 110 

I.  THE  VOYAGE 110 

II.  OUR  NEW  HOME 113 

III.  THE  FIGHT  WITH  THE  PORCUPINE 117 

O  SAILOR,  COME  ASHORE Christina  Rossetti. 120 

A  RIDDLE Christina  Rossetti 121 

WILD  GEESE  .  .  . . Mina  Holton  Page 121 

THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER Hans  Christian  Andersen ....  124 

I.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  MEETS  THE  LITTLE  DANCER 124 

II.    THE  GOBLIN  THREATENS  THE  TIN  SOLDIER 127 

III.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  STARTS  ON  A  JOURNEY 129 

IV.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  IN  A  SHIPWRECK 132 

V.    THE  TIN  SOLDIER  SEES  DAYLIGHT  ONCE  MORE 135 

VI.    THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER  FINDS  THE 

-LITTLE  DANCER  CONSTANT  UNTO  DEATH 138 

LITTLE  BOY  BLUE Eugene  Field 140 

SOMEWHERE  TOWN Kate  Greenaway 142 

OLD  ABE,  THE  WAR  EAGLE A  True  Story 143 

THE  EAGLE Alfred,  Lord  Tennyson 147 

THE  FLAG  GOES  BY Henry  Holcomb  Bennett. 147 

NOVEMBER Alice  Cary 148 

EXERCISE  FOR  ENUNCIATION 149 

THE  HUSBAND  WHO  WAS  TO  MIND  THE  HOUSE  George  Webbe  Dasent 150 

THE  TABLE  AND  THE  CHAIR Edward  Lear , 156 

THE  FOUR  CLEVER  BROTHERS,  PART  I The  Brothers  Grimm. ........  159 

THE  FOUR  CLEVER  BROTHERS,  PART  II 163 

HIGH  AND  Low John  B.  Tabb 171 


THE  CONTENTS  7 

PAGE 

ROBIN  REDBREAST William  Allingham 172 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION 173 

Two  BRASS  KETTLES Margaret  B,  Pumphrey 174 

OBEDIENCE Phoebe  Gary 179 

THE  TREE Bjornstjerne  Bjornson 180 

THREE  MONKEYS  OF  JAPAN 181 

FOR  MEMORIZING ". 181 

THE  TONGUE-CUT  SPARROW Teresa  Peirce  Williston 182 

LITTLE  BLUE  PIGEON  (Japanese  Lullaby)  .Eugene  Field 190 

A  DOG  OF  FLANDERS Louise  de  la  Ramee  (Retold)  .   192 

I.    NELLO  AND  PATRASCHE 192 

II.    How  PATRASCHE  HELPED  NELLO 197 

EXERCISE  FOR  EXPRESSION  (Patience) Anna  M.  Pratt 202 

THE  SOWER Lucy  Larcom 202 

SIR  CLEGES  AND  THE  CHERRIES,  PART  I  F.  J.  H.  Darlon .'. 203 

SIR  CLEGES  AND  THE  CHERRIES,  PART  II 209 

BLUNDER,  PART  I Louise  E.  Chollet .  .  .  . 213 

BLUNDER,  PART  II 217 

BLUNDER,  PART  III 223 

JUNE  COMES A.  H.  M 229 

"TODAY  I  SAW  THE  DRAGON  FLY  " 229 

Suggestions  to  Teachers 230 


It  is  a  lady,  sweet  and  fair 


THIRD  READER 

DAISIES 

At  evening  when  I  go  to  bed 
I  see  the  stars  shine  overhead; 
They  are  the  little  daisies  white 
That  dot  the  meadow  of  the  night. 

And  often  while  I'm  dreaming  so, 
Across  the  sky  the  moon  will  go; 
It  is  a  lady,  sweet  and  fair, 
Who  comes  to  gather  daisies  there. 

For  when  at  morning  I  arise, 
There's  not  a  star  left  in  the  skies; 
She's  picked  them  all  and  dropped  them  down 
Into  the  meadows  of  the  town. 

FRANK  DEMPSTER  SHERMAN. 


ad 

an 

ack 

atch 

sad 

man 

Jack 

catch 

bad 

fan 

crack 

patch 

glad 

fanning 

black 

scratch 

a  means  the  short  sound  of  a. 
9 


THE  POX   FAMILY 

Once  upon  a  time  Father  Fox,  Mother 
Fox,  and  three  little  baby  foxes  lived  in  a 
hole  in  a  tree.  They  were  pretty  red  foxes 
and  as  sly  as  sly  could  be. 

Old  Father  Fox  knew  just  where  to  find 
the  fattest  chickens  and  just  how  to  catch 
them.  His  baby  foxes  always  had  chicken 
for  dinner. 

One  day  Father  Fox  walked  slowly  over 
to  the  barn  near  by,  looking  first  this  way 
and  then  that. 

"I  guess  I'll  take  the  old  white  rooster 
to-day, "  he  thought;  "he  has  crowed  long 
enough.  He  struts  around  so  proud  and  so 
smart,  and  calls  all  the  hens  whenever  he 
sees  me  coming.  Yes,  I'll  catch  the  old 
rooster  to-day.  He  will  make  us  a  fine 
meal." 

Next  time  Father  Fox  went  over  to  the 
farmer's  barn  he  did  not  come  back  to  the 
baby  foxes,  but  they  did  not  go  hungry, 
because  Mother  Fox  went  after  their  dinner. 
But  Mother  Fox  did  not  always  bring 

10 


"He  will  make  us  a  fine  meal" 


chicken.  Sometimes  she  brought  a  rabbit, 
and  one  day  she  brought  a  big  fat  turkey. 
It  was  to  have  been  the  farmer's  Thanks- 
giving turkey.  But  the  baby  foxes  did  not 
know  that  and  they  would  not  have  cared 
if  they  had. 

Oh,  it  was  so  fat  and  so  tender!  It 
made  a  delicious  dinner  for  Mother  Fox 
and  the  three  little  foxes.  And  they  ate 
and  ate  until  there  was  nothing  left  but  the 
bones  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Thanksgiving 
turkey. 

Now  the  very  next  time  that  Mother 
Fox  went  over  to  the  barn  she  did  not 
come  back  to  her  little  foxes  either.  They 
waited  a  long,  long  time  and  kept  very  still. 
But  she  did  not  come  back.  By  and  by  they 
were  so  hungry  they  began  to  cry. 

In  the  morning  the  farmer's  children 
found  them.  "Poor  little  foxes/'  they  said, 
"you.  do  not  know  we  caught  your  father 
and  mother  in  our  trap.  They  stole  our 
chickens,  our  old  white  rooster,  our  pet 
rabbit,  and  our  Thanksgiving  turkey.  You 

12 


will  never  do  that,  will  you,  little  foxes? 
Do  you  think  they  would? 


et 

u 

en 

ent 

end 

pet 

hen 

cent 

bend 

get 

then 

sent 

mend 

better 

when 

went 

tender 

e  means  the  short  sound  of  e 

Seat  IVork: 

Fill  in  the  blanks: 

The  foxes  lived  in  a in  the  tree. 

They  were little foxes. 

Father  Fox brought for  dinner. 

Father  Fox  stole  the rooster. 

Mother went  after  the 

The  little  foxes  were  so they 

began  to 

The children  found  the foxes. 

THE  FOX  AND  THE  ROOSTER 

Such  a  noise  as  there  was  in  the  barn- 
yard one  fine  morning!  Chanticleer,  the 
old  yellow  rooster,  crowed  cock-a-doodle- 

13 


doo-oooo,  the  hens  cackled,  and  the  ducks 
went  quack,  quack,  quack! 

A  sly  fox  living  in  the  woods  not  far 
away  heard  Chanticleer  crowing  cock-a- 
doodle-doo-oo-oo  so  loud  and  so  proud.  He 
said  to  himself,  "What  a  fine  breakfast 
Chanticleer  would  make!  I'll  run  over 
there  and  see  if  I  can't  play  a  smart  trick 
on  him  this  morning/'  So  he  crawled  into 
the  barnyard  and  hid  in  the  grass, 

By  and  by  Chanticleer  happened  to  look 
that  way  and  saw  the  sly  old  fox  hiding  in 
the  grass.  He  was  so  afraid  that  he  stopped 
crowing  and  started  to  run  away. 

"Don't  run  away,  Chanticleer.  Don't  be 
afraid  of  me.  I  came  into  the  barnyard 
just  to  hear  you  crow.  I  knew  your  father, 
and  he  could  crow  cock-a-doodle-doo-oo-oo 
better  than  any  rooster  I  ever  heard,  except 
you.  You  look  like  your  father,  Chanticleer. 
You  are  as  handsome  as  he  was,  and  your 
voice  is  just  as  loud  and  clear. 

"When  your  father  crowed  cock-a-doodle- 
doo,  in  his  loudest,  sweetest  voice,  he  always 

14 


stood  on  his  tiptoes,  stretched  his  neck,  and 
shut  his  eyes.  Do  you  stand  on  your  tip- 
toes and  shut  your  eyes  when  you  crow 
your  loudest  and  sweetest?  No  rooster  in 
this  barnyard,  or  any  other,  can  crow  as 
beautifully  as  you,  Chanticleer.  Let  me  hear 
you  crow  now,  just  as  your  father  did." 

15 


"Well,  well,"  thought  Chanticleer,  "he's 
a  nice  old  fox.  I  like  him.  I  am  not  afraid 
of  him  at  all.  I'm  going  to  crow  my  very 
loudest  and  clearest,  and  see  what  he  will 
say." 

So  Chanticleer  stood  on  his  tiptoes, 
stretched  his  neck  just  as  long  as  he  could, 
shut  his  eyes,  and  said  "Cock-a-doodle- 
But  he  never  finished  that  crow — for  just  as 
soon  as  his  eyes  were  shut  the  fox  caught 
him  by  the  neck  and  ran  off  as  fast  as  he 
could  run. 

"Fox!  Fox!  Fox!"  cried  the  black  hens, 
the  white  hens,  and  the  ducks.  "Fox!  Fox!" 
cried  the  farmer.  "Fox!  Fox!" 

The  hens  cackled  and  cackled,  the  ducks 
quacked  and  quacked,  and  the  farmer's  dog 
barked  and  barked  as  they  all  ran  after  the 
fox.  My,  such  a  noise  as  they  made!  But 
the  fox  kept  on  running. 

Chanticleer  was  so  afraid!  He  knew  the 
sly  old  fox  would  eat  him  for  his  breakfast 
in  about  a  minute  if  he  did  n't  think  of  some 
way  to  save  himself.  So  he  said,  "What  a 

16 


noise  those  hens  and  ducks  are  making!  But 
they  can  never  catch  you.  They  needn't 
try,  for  you  run  much  too  fast  for  them. 

"Why  don't  you  say,  'Go  back,  cackling 
hens!  Go  back,  quacking  ducks!  You  can't 
catch  me!  I  'm  going  to  eat  this  rooster  for 
my  breakfast,  and  you  can't  stop  me'?" 

2  17 


The  fox  was  pleased  to  hear  Chanticleer 
say  this,  and  thought  it  would  be  fun  to 
laugh  at  the  hens  and  ducks.  So  he  called 
back  to  them,  "Go  back,  cackling  hens, 
quacking  ducks,  and  barking  dog!  You 
can't  catch  me!" 

And  the  very  minute  he  opened  his  mouth 
away  flew  the  old  yellow  rooster  into  a  tall 
tree. 

Then  Mr.  Sly  Fox  saw  that  Chanticleer 
had  been  too  clever  for  him  and  he  had  to 
go  hungry  all  day  long. 

Phonic  Drill: 

ock  ob  6t 

rock  Bobby  dot 

cock-a-doodle-doo         Bobtail         forgot 
6  means  the  short  sound  of  o. 

Seat  Work: 

1.  Add  "ed,"  "ing,"  or  "est"  to  each 
word 

bark      clear     great        sweet      proud 
smart    loud     stretch     quack      crow 

18 


2.  Write  six  questions  about  the  lesson. 

3.  Draw  a  picture  of  Chanticleer  and  Sly 
Fox 

THE  CHILD  AND  THE  BIRD 

"Oh,  where  are  you   going,   my   dear   little 

bird? 

And  why  do  you  hurry  away? 
Not    a    leaf   on    the    pretty    red  maple    has 

stirred, 
In  the  sweet  golden  sunshine  to-day/' 

"I  know,  little  maiden,  the  sunshine  is  bright, 
And  the  leaves  are  asleep  on  the  tree, 

But  three  times  the  dream  of  a  cold  winter's 

night 
Has  come  to  my  children  and  me. 

"So,    good-by   to   you,    darling,    for   off   we 

must  go, 

To  the  land  where  the  oranges  bloom, 
For  we  birdies  would    freeze   in   the   storms 

and  the  snow, 
And  forget  how  to  sing  in  the  gloom." 

19 


"Will  you  ever  come  back  to  your  own  little 

nest?" 

"Ah,  yes,  when  the  blossoms  are  here, 
We'll  return  to  the  orchard  we  all  love  the 

best, 

And  then  we  will  sing  to  you,  dear/' 

MARGARET  E.  SANGSTER. 

Phonic  Drill: 

ight  aught 

light  caught 

ought            night  taught                 ight 

thought             right  daughter          might 

brought          bright  naughty             sight 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Draw  a  picture  of  the  child,  the  maple 
tree,  and  the  bird. 

2.  What   month  do   you    think    it    was? 
Why? 

3.  Where  do  oranges  grow? 

4.  Why  do  birds  go  to  a  warm  land  in 
winter? 

5.  When  will  they  return  to  the  orchard? 

20 


THE  WISE  OLD  ELEPHANT 

This  way,  little  girls!  This  way,  little 
boys!  Right  this  way  to  see  the  wise  old 
elephant! 

Isn't  he  a  fine  fellow?  He's  a  trick  ele- 
phant. Hear  him  ring  that  bell!  See  how 
he  rolls  over  and  over!  Don't  be  afraid  of 
him,  little  boys.  Give  him  peanuts  and 
popcorn  if  you  wish.  He  likes  them. 

21 


There!  There!  Don't  cry  any  more, 
little  girl.  He  was  only  in  fun.  He  often 
lifts  little  children  that  way,  but  he  doesn't 
hurt  them  any.  He  sets  them  down  again 
just  as  carefully  as  can  be. 

Stop!  Stop!  Don't  feed  him  that  apple 
with  pins  in  it,  boys.  That 's  a  cruel  thing 
to  do,  and  the  elephant  would  never  forget 
it.  He  would  surely  find  some  way  to  pay 
you  back  if  he  ever  saw  you  again. 

Why,  once  I  heard  of  a  tailor  who  used 
to  give  an  elephant  nice  sweet  cakes  to  eat. 
Every  day  as  the  elephant  passed  by  his 
shop  the  tailor  had  a  cake  ready  for  him. 
He  always  knew  where  that  tailor  shop  was, 
and  he  would  walk  right  up  and  put  his 
trunk  in  through  the  open  window. 

One  day  the  tailor  was  away  and  there 
was  another  man  working  in  his  place. 
When  the  elephant  put  his  trunk  in,  the  man 
pricked  it  with  a  sharp  needle.  Then  how  he 
laughed!  He  thought  that  was  a  good  joke. 

But  the  elephant  did  n't  like  it  very  much. 
He  went  down  to  the  river  and  filled  his 

22 


trunk  with  muddy  water.  When  he  came 
back  he  put  his  trunk  in  the  window  and 
threw  the  water  all  over  the  man.  I  imagine 
the  man  did  n't  think  it  was  such  a  good 
joke  then.  Oh,  he  is  a  very  wise  old 
elephant! 

Pass  right  along,  little  girls  and  boys. 
Pass  right  along  and  let  the  other  little 
children  see  the  wise  old  elephant. 

Right  this  way!  Right  this  way,  girls  and 
boys!  Right  this  way  to  see  the  elephant! 

Exercise  for  Expression: 

They  laughed  and  laughed  when  the 
elephant  rolled  over  and  over. 

Oh,  yes,  please  do  ring   the   bell   again. 

"Come  along !"  cried  the  boys.  "The 
elephant  won't  hurt  you." 

Do  pass  the  peanuts  and  popcorn  to  the 
poor  old  elephant. 

ick  ink  ill  it 

trick  blink  still  flit 

pricked       thinking       hillside      rabbit 

i  means  the  short  sound  of  i. 

23 


POOR   OLD   ELEPHANT 

An  elephant  to  a  circus  went, 

Poor  old  elephant! 
And  lived  his  life  beneath  a  tent, 

Poor  old  elephant! 
Dreaming  of  the  jungle  cool, 
Juicy  leaves  and  rippling  pool. 

Poor  old  elephant! 

L.  FRANK  BAUM. 

augh 

phant  laugh  ough 

elephant  laughter  enough 

In  these  words  ph  and  gh  have  the  same 
sound  as  f. 

THE   LAMPLIGHTER 

My  tea  is  nearly  ready  and  the  sun  has  leit 

the  sky; 
It's  time  to  take  the  window  to  see  Leerie 

going  by; 
For  every  night  at  tea  time  and  before  you 

take  your  seat, 
With    lantern    and    with    ladder    he    comes 

posting    up    the    street. 

24 


Now  Tom  would  be  a  driver  and  Maria  go 

to  sea, 
And  my  papa's  a  banker  and  as  rich  as  he 

can  be; 
But  I,  when  I  am  stronger  and  can  choose 

what  I'm  to  do, 
O  Leerie,   I'll  go  round  at  night  and  light 

the  lamps  with  you! 

For  we  are  very  lucky,  with  a  lamp  before 

the  door, 
And  Leerie  stops  to  light  it  as  he  lights  so 

many  more; 
And  oh!    before  you  hurry   by  with  ladder 

and  with  light, 
O  Leerie,  see  a  little  child  and  nod  to  him 

to-night!  ROBERT  Louis  STEVENSON. 

iing  uck  up  un 

hung  duck  upon          under 

jungle         lucky         upset         until 
u  means  the  short  sound  of  u. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Memorize  the  first  stanza  of  the  poem. 

2.  Draw  a  picture  of  a  ladder. 

3.  Cut  a  picture  of  a  street  lamp. 

25 


THE   GIANT   AND   THE   PIGS 

Now  it  happened  that  three  little  pigs 
lived  in  a  pen.  The  first  little  pig  was  as 
black  as  jet  and  fat  as  butter.  The  second 
little  pig  was  blacker  and  fatter,  and  the 
third  was  blackest  and  fattest  of  all. 

One  day  these  black  little,  fat  little  pigs 
started  out  for  a  walk.  The  old  yellow 
rooster  saw  them  and  called  out,  "You 
better  look  out,  black  little,  fat  little  pigs! 
A  big,  hungry  giant  lives  in  those  woods. 
He  will  eat  you,  body  and  bones. " 

26 


"If  pigs  only  knew  what  was  best  for 
them  they  wouldn't  go  near  those  woods/' 
cackled  the  gray  hen. 

But  no,  the  fat  little,  black  little  pigs 
shook  their  heads  and  would  not  listen  to 
the  old  rooster  or  the  gray  hen. 

"What  do  they  know  about  the  woods? 
They  have  never  been  there/'  said  all  three 
of  the  pigs  together.  So  through  the  gate 
and  into  the  dark  woods  they  went.  Ripe, 
juicy  nuts  were  lying  all  over  the  ground, 
and  they  ran  from  tree  to  tree  to  find  the 
largest  and  sweetest. 


27 


By  and  by  whom  should  the  smallest  of 
the  black  little,  fat  little  pigs  meet  but  the 
big,  hungry  giant. 

"Ha!  Ha!"  said  the  giant,  as  he  caught 
the  little  pig.  "Now  I  shall  have  roast  pig 
for  my  supper." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Giant,  please  let  me  go! 
Please  let  me  go!"  squealed  the  frightened, 
black  little,  fat  little  pig.  "There  is  a 
fatter  pig  than  I  coming  this  way.  He  will 
make  you  a  fine  supper.  Do  not  eat  me!" 

So  the  giant  let  the  first  little  pig  go. 

Soon  the  second  black  little,  fat  little 
pig  came  trotting  along,  and  the  big,  hungry 
giant  caught  him.  "Ho!  Ho!  Now  I  shall 
have  roast  pig  for  my  supper." 

"Please  do  not  eat  me!"  squealed  the 
second  little  pig.  "My  brother  is  coming  this 
way,  and  he  is  bigger  and  fatter  than  I  am." 

So  the  old  giant  waited  for  the  blackest 
little,  fattest  little  pig,  and  soon  he  came 
along.  "Aha!  Aha!  Now  sure  enough  I 
shall  have  roast  pig  for  my  supper." 

"Yes,"    said   the   blackest    little,   fattest 

28 


FTR, 


little  pig,  "but  who  ever  heard  of  a  roast 
pig  without  an  ear  of  corn  in  his  mouth? 
If  you  will  let  me,  I  will  run  home  and 
get  one." 

"To  be  sure,"  said  the  big,  hungry  giant, 
and  he  put  the  third  little,  fattest  little, 
blackest  little  pig  down,  and  he  ran  off  as 
fast  as  his  short  little  legs  could  carry  him. 

29 


"Be  quick/'  called  the  giant. 

"Yes,  I'll  be  quick  to  get  to  my  pen, 
and  wise  enough  to  stay  there,"  squealed 
the  third  little,  blackest  little,  fattest  little 
pig.  "It  will  take  a  smarter  giant  than 
you  to  have  roast  pig  for  his  supper/' 

A   Fable. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Illustrate  the  story  by  cutting  pictures 
of  pigs,  woods,  and  nuts. 

2.  Copy,  and  mark  short  vowel  sounds: 
fattest          digs  lot  sung 

blackest         pigs          trotting          hung 

3.  Copy,    and   draw   a   line   through   the 
silent   letters: 

roast  enough  ear  juicy 

surely         squealed         home         cackled 

TWO   FACES 

If  I  make  a  face  at  Billy, 
He  will  make  a  face  at  me. 

That  makes  two  ugly  faces, 

And  a  quarrel,  don't  you  see? 

30 


But  if  I  smile  at  Billy, 

Tis  sure  to  make  him  laugh; 

You  'd  say  if  you  could  see  him 
'Twas  jollier  by  half 

Than  kicks  and  ugly  faces. 

I  tell  you  all  the  while, 
It 's  pleasanter  for  any  boy 

(Or  girl)  to  laugh  and  smile. 

"It  takes  two  to  make  a  quarrel!' 

ake  ace  ate  ame 

take  face  gate  came 

cake  place  skate  same 

a  means  the  long  sound  of  a. 

THE   GIANT   AND   THE   PIGS 

(Dramatization) 

PLACE:     The  woods 

GIANT  GRAY  HEN 

THREE  LITTLE  PIGS  YELLOW  ROOSTER 

YELLOW  ROOSTER:     You  had  better  look  out, 
black  little,  fat  little  pigs. 

LITTLE  PIGS:     Why  had  we  better  look  out? 
YELLOW  ROOSTER:     A  big,  hungry  giant  lives 

31 


in  those  woods.  He  will  eat  you,  body  and 
bones. 

GRAY  HEN:  If  pigs  only  knew  what  was 
best  for  them,  they  would  n't  go  near  those 
woods. 

LITTLE  PIGS:  What  do  they  know  about 
the  woods?  They  have  never  been  there. 
We  are  not  afraid.  (Shake  heads  and  walk 
toward  the  woods.} 

FIRST  LITTLE  PIG:  My!  What  is  that? 
I  believe  it  is  the  giant. 

GIANT:  Ha!  Ha!  Now  I  shall  have  roast 
pig  for  my  supper.  (Catches  little  pig.} 

FIRST  LITTLE  PIG:  Oh,  Mr.  Giant,  please 
let  me  go!  Please  let  me  go!  There  's  a  fat- 
ter, blacker  pig  than  I  coming  this  way.  He 
will  make  you  a  fine  supper.  Do  not  eat  me! 

GIANT:  All  right.  I  will  wait  for  the  fat- 
ter, blacker  little  pig.  (Lets  first  little  pig  go.} 

SECOND  LITTLE  PIG:  Oh,  dear!  There  is 
that  big,  hungry  giant!  What  shall  I  do? 

GIANT:  Ho!  Ho!  Now  I  shall  have  roast 
pig  for  my  supper.  (Catches  second  little  pig.} 

SECOND  LITTLE  PIG:  Please  do  not  eat  me! 

32 


My  brother  is  coming  this  way,  and  he  is 
the  biggest  and  fattest  of  us  all. 

GIANT:  Very  well,  run  along,  and  I  will 
have  your  brother  for  my  supper. 

THIRD  LITTLE  PIG :  Dear!  Dear!  What  will 
happen  to  me!  There  is  that  hungry  giant. 

GIANT:  Aha!  Aha!  Now  I  shall  surely 
have  roast  pig  for  my  supper.  (Catches 
third  little  pig.} 

THIRD  LITTLE  PIG:  Yes,  Mr.  Giant,  but 
who  ever  heard  of  a  roast  pig  without  an 
ear  of  corn  in  his  mouth?  If  you  will  let 
me,  I  will  run  home  and  get  one. 

GIANT  :  To  be  sure !  To  be  sure !  ( To  little 
pig  running  away]  Be  quick!  Be  quick! 

THIRD  LITTLE  PIG:  I  '11  be  quick  enough  to 
get  to  my  pen,  and  wise  enough  to  stay  there. 

THREE  LITTLE  PIGS:  It  will  take  a  smarter 
giant  than  that  to  have  roast  pig  for  his 
supper.  Ha!  Ha!  Ha! 

old          go  ole  oke 

cold          going  hole  joke 

told         golden         stole         smoke 
6  means  the  long  sound  of  o 

3  33 


THEY  DIDN'T  THINK 

Once  a  little  turkey, 

Fond  of  her  own  way, 
Wouldn't  ask  the  old  ones 

Where  to  go  or  stay; 
She  said,  "I'm  not  a  baby, 

Here  I  am  half  grown; 
Surely  I  am  big  enough 

To  run  about  alone!" 
Off  she  went,  but  somebody 

Hiding,  saw  her  pass; 
Soon  like  snow  her  feathers 

Covered  all  the  grass. 
So  she  made  a  supper 

For  a  sly  young  mink, 
'Cause  she  was  so  headstrong 

That  she  wouldn't  think. 

PHCEBE  GARY. 

use 

u                              used  une 

music                    accuse  tune 

Lucy                    excuse  fortune 

u  means  the  long  sound  of  u. 
34 


BELLING  THE  CAT 

A  sly  cat  had  her  home  in  a  gentleman's 
house.  She  was  a  great  pet,  and  went  from 
room  to  room  whenever  she  wished.  All 
the  mice  in  the  house  were  afraid  of  her. 
She  had  such  sharp  claws  and  teeth,  and 
walked  so  softly,  they  couldn't  even  tell 
when  she  was  coming. 

One  night  they  met  in  a  dark  pantry  to 
talk  about  the  cat.  Old  Father  Sharp  Eyes 
said,  "We  must  think  of  a  plan  to  get  away 
from  the  cat.  She  has  eaten  two  of  my 
children,  and  she  almost  caught  Mother 
Sharp  Eyes.  She  will  certainly  eat  us  alL 
Not  one  will  be  left  to  tell  the  story  if  we 

35 


don't   think    of   a   plan   to   get  away   from 
her." 

Then  they  all  thought  very  hard.  One 
mouse  said  one  thing;  and  another  mouse 
said  another.  At  last  smart  Little  Short 
Tail  stood  up  and  said,  "Listen!  All  listen 
to  my  plan!  You  know  we  never  hear  the  cat 
when  she  comes.  That  is  why  she  catches 
us.  We  do  not  have  time  to  run.  Let's 
hang  a  bell  around  the  cat's  neck.  Then 
we  can  hear  her  and  scamper  for  our  lives." 

"Good!  Good!"  squeaked  all  the  mice, 
little  and  big.  "Nothing  like  hanging  a 
bell  around  the  cat's  neck.  Short  Tail  has 
thought  of  an  excellent  plan.  We  will 
certainly  do  it." 

Just  then  old  Jimmy  Gray  Back  put  his 
head  on  one  side  and  looking  out  of  the  corner 
of  his  eye  said,  "Now,  who  will  bell  the  cat?" 

And  the  mice,  one  and  all,  little  and 
big,  said,  "Yes,  who  will  bell  the  cat? 
Who?  Who?"  But  not  one  mouse  squeaked 
nor  winked  an  eye.  Not  one  mouse  was 
ready  to  bell  the  cat.  No,  not  one, 

36 


It  is  easy  to  propose  impossible  remedies!9 


Jimmy  Gray  Back        Little  Short  Tail 

Phonic  Drill: 

ice  Ide  He  me 

nice          ride  smile  fine 

mice          hiding          while          shine 
I  means  the  long  sound  of  i. 

Seat  Work: 

1.  Select  five  words  from  the  lesson  and 
give  other  words  that  will  rime  with  them. 

2.  Give    words    that    mean    almost    the 
same    as    catches,    listen,    scamper,    moment, 
squeak. 

BELLING  THE  CAT 

(Dramatization) 

PLACE:     Dark  pantry 

TIME:      Night 

SLY  CAT  OLD  JIMMY  GRAY  BACK 

OLD  FATHER  SHARP  EYES  LITTLE  SHORT  TAIL 

TEN  MICE 

(Mice  sitting  on  the  floor  in  a  circle) 
OLD  FATHER  SHARP  EYES:      Have    you    all 
seen  that  sly  cat? 

37 


TEN  MICE:     Yes,  yes,  we  have  seen   her! 

OLD  FATHER  SHARP  EYES:  Well,  she  has 
eaten  two  of  my  children  and  she  almost 
caught  Mother  Sharp  Eyes. 

TEN  MICE:  Think  of  that!  Think  of  that! 
Eaten  two  of  your  children! 

OLD  FATHER  SHARP  EYES:  Yes,  and  she 
will  certainly  eat  us  all  if  we  don't  think 
of  a  plan  to  get  away  from  her. 

TEN  MICE:  She  will  eat  us  all!  She  will 
eat  us  all !  What  shall  we  do?  (All  think.} 

LITTLE  SHORT  TAIL:  Listen!  Listen!  You 
know  we  never  hear  the  cat  when  she  comes. 
That's  why  she  catches  us.  We  don't  have 
time  to  run. 

TEN  MICE:  That's  why  she  catches  us. 
We  don't  have  time  to  run. 

LITTLE  SHORT  TAIL:  Listen!  This  is  my 
plan.  Let's  hang  a  bell  around  the  cat's 
neck.  Then  we  can  hear  her  coming  and 
scamper  for  our  lives. 

TEN  MICE:  Good!  Good!  Let's  hang 
a  bell  around  the  cat's  neck.  Good!  Good! 

OLD  JIMMY  GRAY  BACK:  (head  on  one  side, 

38 


and  looking  wise):  Now,  who  will  hang  the 
bell  on  the  cat's  neck? 

TEN  MICE:  Yes,  who  will  bell  the  cat? 
Who?  Who?  Who?  Who  will  bell  the  cat? 

MICE  (as  Sly  Cat  runs  toward  them}: 
Not  I !  Not  I !  Not  I !  (All  scamper  away.} 

Exercise  for  Expression: 

Be  careful,  Creepy-Crawly;  always,  al- 
ways careful. 

Cats  can  run  very  fast,  and  cats  have 
claws. 

Claws  are  dreadful,  dreadful,  dreadful 
things. 

If  you  see  a  cat  you  fly! 
If  you  don't  you'll  surely  die! 
Run  at  once,  or  all  is  done! 
Poor    little   Creepy-Crawly!     Poor    little 
Creepy-Crawly! 

THE  SHEPHERD  BOY  AND  THE  WOLF 

There  was  once  a  shepherd  boy  who 
tended  sheep  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain, 
near  a  dark  forest.  It  was  a  lonely  place 

39 


"The  wolves  are  killing  my  lambs 


for  him,  and   he  often  wished   for  company 
and  a  little  fun. 

One  day  he  thought  he  would  deceive 
the  villagers  and  play  a  good  joke  on  them. 
So  he  rushed  toward  the  village,  crying 
loudly,  "Wolf!  Wolf!  Help!  Help!  The 

40 


wolves  are  killing  my  lambs!  Help!  Help!" 
Once,  yes,  twice  the  villagers  were  startled 
by  his  cries  and  hurried  to  help  him,  but 
no  wolves  were  to  be  seen,  and  each  time 
the  shepherd  boy  only  laughed  at  them. 

Soon  after  this  a  wolf  really  did  come 
out  from  the  forest  and  begin  to  devour 
the  sheep.  "Wolf!  Wolf!  Help!  Help!" 
cried  the  boy,  louder  than  before.  But  the 
villagers  thought  he  was  again  deceiving 
them,  and  nobody  went  to  help  him.  So 
the  shepherd  boy  lost  all  his  flock. 

"A  liar  will  not  be  believed  even  when  he 
speaks  the  tr^lth." 


Enunciation  Drill: 

Blossoms  and  buds  bending  above  beauti- 
ful brooks. 

Save  some  supper  for  smart,  sunny  Sam. 

Handsome,  headstrong  Henry  hurt  happy 
Hans. 

Say  clearly:  Why,  when,  where,  which, 
white,  while. 

41 


THE  FOUR  WINDS 

In  winter,  when  the  wind  I  hear, 
I  know  the  clouds  will  disappear; 
For  'tis  the  wind  who  sweeps  the  sky 
And  piles  the  snow  in  ridges  high. 

In  spring,  when  stirs  the  wind,  I  know 
That  soon  the  crocus  buds  will  show; 
For  'tis  the  wind  who  bids  them  wake 
And  into  pretty  blossoms  break. 

In  summer,  when  it  softly  blows, 
Soon  red  I  know  will  be  the  rose, 
For  't  is  the  wind  to  her  who  speaks, 
And  brings  the  blushes  to  her  cheeks. 

In  autumn,  when  the  wind  is  up, 
I  know  the  acorn's  out  its  cup; 
For  't  is  the  wind  who  takes  it  out, 
And  plants  an  oak  somewhere  about. 

FRANK  DEMPSTER  SHERMAN. 

ear  eat  each  eap 

hear  eaten      teach  leap 

disappear          bleat         teaching          leaping 

e  means  the  long  sound  of  e. 
42 


Seat  IVork: 

Answer  the  following  questions: 

1.  What  does  the  winter  wind  do? 

2.  What  does  the  spring  wind  do? 

3.  What  does  the  summer  wind  do? 

4.  What  does  the  autumn  wind  do? 
Draw  a  picture  of  a  snow  scene. 
Name   two   spring   flowers;   two  autumn 

flowers. 

HOW   TOMMY   RAISED   THE   WIND 

One  night  the  wind  came  knocking  at 
our  door.  It  was  only  a  little  zephyr,  and 
it  softly  said,  "Oh,  do  let  me  in,  do-o-o-o." 

But  I  would  n't  let  the  little  zephyr 
in,  and  it  grew  saucy  and  blew  and  blew 
and  said  something  that  sounded  'like 
"You-o-o-o." 

My,  but  the  wind  was  angry  then,  and 
it  said,  "I'm  going  to  get  my  big  brother, 
and  then  see  what  you'll  do-o-o-o." 

So  the  wind  went  away,  and  it  all  grew 
very  still.  But  in  a  minute  there  was  a 
rush  and  a  roar  that  rattled  the  windows 

43 


and  made  the  house  shake.  Then  I  knew 
the  big  brother  had  come.  With  all  his 
noise  I  could  still  hear  the  little  wind  call- 
ing, "Now  what '11  you  do-o-o-o?" 

I  wasn't  afraid,  I  sat  right  up  in  bed 
and  shouted,  " Think  you're  smart,  woo- 
o-o-o,"  and  then  I  put  my  head  down 

44 


under   the    bed    clothes    and    that    was    the 
last    I    knew. 

In  the  morning  every  one  was  telling 
about  the  terrible  wind  and  what  it  did. 
But  I  never  said  a  word,  because,  you  see, 
if  I  had  told  them  what  had  happened  they 
might  have  blamed  me. 

Retold  from  verses  by  MARAH  WHITE. 

Copy,  and  mark  the  vowel  sounds: 
head  angry  clothes         rush 

windows         knocking         minute         blamed 

THE   NIGHT   WIND 

Have     you      ever      heard      the     wind      go 
"Yooooo"? 

'Tis  a  pitiful  sound  to  hear! 
It  seems  to  chill   you  through  and  through 

With  a  strange  and  speechless  fear. 
'Tis    the    voice    of    the    night    that    broods 
outside 

When  folk  should  be  asleep, 
And  many  and  many's  the  time  I  've  cried 
To  the  darkness  brooding  far  and  wide 

Over  the  land  and  the  deep: 

45 


"Whom  do  you  want,  O  lonely  night, 

That  you  wail  the  long  hours  through? " 
And  the  night  would  say  in  its  ghostly  way: 

"Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo!" 

My  mother  told  me  long  ago 
(When  I  was  a  little  tad) 
That  when  the  night  went  wailing  so, 

Somebody  had  been  bad; 
And  then,  when  I  was  snug  in  bed, 

Whither  I  had  been  sent, 
With    the   blankets    pulled    up    round    my 

head, 

I  'd  think  of  what  my  mother  'd  said, 
And  wonder  what  boy  she  meant! 
And  "Who's  been  bad  to-day?"  I'd  ask 

Of  the  wind  that  hoarsely  blew, 
And  the  voice  would  say  in  its  meaningful 
way: 

"Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo!" 

46 


That  this  was  true  I  must  allow  — 

You'll  not  believe  it,  though! 
Yes,  though  I  'm  quite  a  model  now, 

I  was  not  always  so. 
And  if  you  doubt  what  things  I  say, 

Suppose  you  make  the  test; 
Suppose,  when  you  've  been  bad  some  day 
And  up  to  bed  are  sent  away 

From  mother  and  the  rest- 
Suppose  you  ask,  "Who  has  been  bad?" 

And  then  you'll  hear  what's  true; 
For  the  wind  will  moan  in  its  ruefulest  tone: 

"Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo! 
Yoooooooo!" 

EUGENE  FIELD. 

Exercise  for  Expression  by  Lengthening  the 


everywhere-every  where  waiting  and  waiting 

away-away-away  long-long-long 

far-far-far  over  and  over 

roll-roll-roll  on  and  on 

high-high-high  by  and  by 

47 


Everywhere,  everywhere  the  woods  were 
dark. 

Sail  away,  away,  over  the  blue  sea. 

He  went  far,  far  from  home. 

The  flowers  were  waiting  and  waiting 
for  spring. 

Long,  long  ago  they  flew  far,  far  away. 

On  and  on,  ran  the   merry  little  brook. 

By  and  by,  I  '11  climb  the  high,  high 
hill. 

Roll,  roll,  beautiful  blue  ocean,  roll. 

"You-oo-oo-oo,"  softly  said  the  saucy 
little  zephyr. 

"Call  the  pigeons,  baby  dear- 
Beckon  them  to  you; 
Hear  them  answer  lovingly, 
Coo-oo!    Coo-oo!    Coo!" 

FINDING  A  DARK  PLACE 

(Read  silently  and  then  tell  the  story) 

Once  there  was  a  dark  place,  a  very 
dark  place,  and  all  the  birds  and  bees  and 
butterflies  were  talking  about  it. 

A  bird  said,  "I  will  go  and  see  if  it   is 

48 


a  dark  place/'  So  he  flew  to  it,  and  came 
back,  saying,  "Yes,  it  is  a  dark  place/' 

Then  a  bee  said,  "Buzz,  buzzzz!  I'll 
go  and  find  the  dark  place/'  And  when  he 
came  back  he  said,  "Oh,  my,  what  a  dark 
place  I  found!" 

Then    a    butterfly    flew    to    find    it,    and 

4  49 


when  he  came  back  he  said,  "Yes,  it  is  a 
dark,  dark  place/' 

Then  the  wind  said  he  would  go  and  find  it, 
and  he  puffed  out  his  cheeks  (this  way)  and 
blew  himself  along.  When  he  came  back  he 
said,  "Yes,  it  is  the  darkest  place  I  ever  saw." 

So  then  the  sun  said,  "Til  go  and  find 
the  dark  place,"  and  w7hen  he  came  back 
he  said,  "I  couldn't  find  a  dark  place,  and 
there  isn't  any  dark  place  anywhere." 

Why  couldn't  the  sun  find  a  dark  place? 

Phonic  drill  on  a  as  in  far: 

ark        far                          ard  art 

dark        farm                     hard  party 

bark        farmer         barnyard  smart 

sparks       far-off                  garden  smartest 

THE  CARPENTER 
I    thought    I  could    saw,    and    I    thought    I 

could  plane, 

And  I  thought  I  was  clever  with  nails, 
And  I  mended  a  chair  (though  it's  broken 

again), 
And  I  once  made  a  couple  of  pails. 

50 


But  directly  the  carpenter  came  to  our  house 
To  put  up  some  shelves  in  the  hall, 

And  I  sat  by  his  side  just  as  still  as  a  mouse, 
I  knew  I  knew  nothing  at  all. 

He  measured   each   part   with    the    greatest 

of  care 

(A  foot  rule's  a  thing  I  don't  use), 
He    labored    to    make    the    joints    perfectly 

square, 
And  he  always  bored  holes  for  the  screws. 

Now  it's   all    very    well    to   go    hammering 

round, 

And  to  look  on  a  tool  chest  as  fun; 
But  in  future  my  carpenter   work   shall   be 

sound, 
And  done  once  for  all,  if  it's  done. 

EDWARD  VERALL  LUCAS. 

€  €  €  € 

care          claws        cackling  could 

came        clever        carpenter          couple 
cages       clouds       caterpillars       countryside 
e  means  the  hard  sound  of  'c. 
51 


BLACKIE  IN  THE  TRAP 
PART  I 

Blackie  had  only  one  more  day  to  stay 
in  Madison  Square,  then  Mr.  Blackrat  was 
coming  to  take  him  home;  so  of  course  he 
and  Brownie  and  Ringtail  and  Snowwhite 
wanted  to  have  all  the  fun  they  could. 
They  had  been  sitting  up  in  the  sunny  win- 
dow seat,  listening  to  Father  Graybeard  talk 
about  traps.  He  told  them  about  every  kind 
of  rat  trap  you  can  think  of,  so  they  would 
be  careful  and  never  get  caught,  you  see. 

52 


"Yes,  sir,"  said  Father  Graybeard,  "you 
little  rats  had  better  be  careful,  and  listen 
to  your  elders,  or  you'll  get  caught  in  a 
trap  some  day." 

But  they  said  they  never  would,  and 
ran  off,  up  the  side  of  the  wall,  to  play 
hiding;  and  by  and  by  Brownie  said:  "I'm 
just  as  hungry  as  hungry  can  be;  let's  go 
down  to  the  pantry  and  find  something 
nice  to  eat." 

And  Ringtail  and  Blackie  and  Snowwhite 
said,  "Yes,  let's  do!" 

So  off  they  scampered  to  the  pantry; 
and  there  were  pies  and  jelly  cake  on  the 
pantry  shelf,  and  down  on  the  floor  Blackie 
saw  a  queer  little  wire  house  with  an  open 
wire  chimney  to  it,  and  the  biggest,  nicest 
piece  of  cheese,  right  down  on  the  floor  of 
the  little  house. 

"We'd  better  not  touch  that,"  said  Snow- 
white.  "The  wire  house  might  be  one  of 
those  traps  Father  Graybeard  told  us  about." 

"Pshaw,"  said  Blackie,  "I  don't  believe 
it!  That  is  just  a  piece  of  cheese  the  cook 

53 


doesn't  want,  and  I'm  going  in  to  eat  it, 
because  the  door  is  open,  and  so  is  the 
chimney." 

So,  before  Snowwhite  could  say  another 
word,  in  went  Blackie,  right  down  the  chim- 
ney of  the  little  wire  house;  and  sure  enough, 
it  was  a  trap,  and  when  Blackie  got  in,  he 
could  n't  get  out. 

"Oh-o!"  said  Ringtail,  "Blackie 's  gone 
now!" 

"Oh-o!"  said  Snowwhite,  "I  told  you 
so,  Blackie!" 

Then  Brownie  said,  "Hush,  I  hear  some- 

54 


body  coming/'  and,  sure  enough,  the  cook 
opened  the  pantry  door,  and  away  ran 
Brownie  and  Snowwhite  and  Ringtail — one 
right  behind  the  other — up  the  garret  steps, 
leaving  Blackie  all  by  himself  in  the  trap. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Write  the  words  from  the  lesson  that 
describe  the  following: 

window  seat          wall  chimney 

rat  trap  house         cheese 

2.  Copy   the   sentences   containing   these 
expressions: 

"Pshaw,"  said  Blackie. 
"Oh-o!"  said  Ringtail. 
"Hush,  I  hear  somebody  coming/' 

BLACKIE  IN  THE  TRAP 
PART  II 

"Oh,  yes/'  said  the  big  fat  cook,  as  she 
stooped  down  to  look  in  the  trap,  "I've 
got  you  now!  You  are  'the  very  rat  that 
has  been  eating  up  my  pies  and  cakes. 

55 


Who  invited  you  into  my  pantry,  I'd  like 
to  know?" 

Blackie  was  too  scared  to  say  a  word. 
He  just  sat  up  on  his  hind  legs  and  crossed 
his  front  paws,  as  his  mother  told  him  to 
when  he  wanted  to  say  "Please,"  and  there 
was  such  a  cunning  look  in  his  bright  black 
eyes  that  the  big  cook  just  had  to  laugh; 
and  then  she  stepped  to  the  pantry  door 
and  called:  "Dorothy!  Oh,  Miss  Dorothy! 
Run  here  quickly!  I've  got  something  to 
show  you." 

Then  Blackie  heard  a  door  open,  and 
a  pair  of  feet  came  dancing  down  the  hall, 
and  in  rushed  the  little  mistress  of  Madison 
Square, — the  very  same  little  girl  that 
Blackie  had  seen  playing  so  sweetly  on  the 
piano;  and  she  had  the  same  kind  face,  and 
the  long  brown  curls. 

"Why,  Mammy  Jule,"  she  said,  stooping 
down  by  the  side  of  the  wire  cage,  "what  are 
you  going  to  do  with  this  dear  little  rat?" 

"Why,  I'm  going  to  give  him  to  the 
gray  cat,"  said  the  big  fat  cook.  "Isn't 

56 


he  the  very  little  gentleman  that  has  been 
stealing  my  pies  and  cakes  for  these  many 
days?  Of  course  I'm  going  to  give  him  to 
the  cat!" 

"Oh,  Mammy  Jule,  please  don't!"  said 
the  little  girl.  "This  is  the  very  same  little 
rat  that  watched  me  the  other  night.  See 
how  he  holds  his  front  paws,  and  how 
cunning  he  is,  sitting  on  his  hind  legs.  I'm 
sure  he  is  saying,  'Please  don't  give  me  to 
the  cat!  I  won't  do  so  any  more!'  Oh, 
give  him  to  me,  please  do!" 

Now  what  do  you  think  the  big  fat  cook 
said?  At  first  she  shook  her  head  and  said, 
"No."  But  how  could  she  keep  from  say- 
ing "Yes,"  when  the  little  girl  begged  so 
hard  and  kept  patting  her  hand?  Of  course 
she  had  to  say  "Yes,"  so  she  handed  the 
trap  to  the  dear  little  mistress  of  Madison 
Square.  You  know  what  she  did,  don't 
you,  without  my  saying  another  word?  Yes, 
she  opened  the  trap  door,  and  out  skipped 
Blackie,  and  up  the  garret  steps,  happier 
than  he  had  ever  been  before. 

57 


Ringtail  and  Brownie  ran  out  to  meet 
him,  and  little  Snowwhite  rubbed  her  soft 
cheek  against  him.  She  had  been  crying 
because  she  thought  she  would  never  see 
Blackie  any  more.  But  now  they  were  all 
glad  once  more,  and  Blackie  never  again 
went  near  another  rat  trap,  for,  as  Father 
Graybeard  said:  "Little  rats  have  to  be 
caught  before  they  learn  what  rat  traps  are. 
They  will  not  believe  their  elders." 

Pretty  soon  Mr.  Blackrat  came  and  car- 
ried Blackie  home;  and  when  he  curled  up 
by  his  mother's  side  he  told  her  all  about 

58 


the  pretty  music  he  had  heard,  and  the 
wire  trap,  and  the  dear  little  mistress  of 
Madison  Square. 

And  what  do  you  suppose  she  said? 
Why,  she  wouldn't  believe  him!  She  just 
said:  "Blackie,  hush!  Your  imagination  is 
something  terrible/' 

Now,  wasn't  she  a  queer  mother? 
MADGE  A.  BIGHAM  in  "Merry  Animal  Tales" 


dbk 

obd 

obk 

look 

good 

nook 

obt 

cook 

stood 

hook 

foot 

shook 

woods 

brook 

soot 

do  means  the  short  sound  of  oo. 


THE  CITY  MOUSE  AND  THE 
GARDEN  MOUSE 

The  city  mouse  lives  in  a  house; — 
The  garden  mouse  lives  in  a  bower, 

He's  friendly  with  the  frogs  and  toads, 
And  sees  the  pretty  plants  in  flower, 

59 


The  city  mouse  eats  bread  and  cheese ;- 
The  garden  mouse  eats  what  he  can; 

We  will  not  grudge  him  seeds  and  stalks, 
Poor  little  timid,  furry  man. 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 

ow  sometimes  says  ou,  as  in  house: 

how         bower        down         brown 
now         flower         town        Brownie 

60 


APPLESEED  JOHN 

I  have  heard  that  long  ago  there  lived 
an  old  man  who  was  bent  almost  double 
by  hard  work  and  care.  He  wanted  to  do 
something  to  help  others,  but  he  was  poor 
and  had  no  money. 

"'What  can  I  do?'  old  Johnny  said; 
'I  who  work  so  hard  for  bread? " 

One  day  as  the  old  man  sat  thinking, 
a  smile  broke  over  his  face  and  he  clapped 
his  hands  and  said,  "There's  a  way  for  me! 
There's  a  way  for  me!"  After  that  he 
worked  early  and  late,  doing  anything  he 
could  find  to  do,  and 

"He  took  ripe  apples  in  pay  for  chores 
And  carefully  cut  from  them  all  the  cores." 

Now  these  cores  old  Johnny  put  into  a 
bag,  and 

"When  the  bag  was  full  he  stole  quietly  away, 
No  man  knew  where  for  many  a  day. 
Over  the  prairies  and  through  the  grass, 
Whistling  and  singing,  old  Johnny  passed. 

61 


He  seemed  to  have  no  work  or  care 

As  he  marched   along  over   fields  so  bare/' 

"But    he    stopped   now    and   then   and    the 

bag  untied. 

With  pointed  cane  deep  holes  he  would  bore, 
And  in  every  hole  he  placed  a  core. 

62 


Then  covered  them  well  and  left  them  there, 
In  keeping  of  sunshine,  rain,  and  air.M 

Sometimes  in  his  travels  old  Johnny  met 
Indians,  who  shared  their  food  with  him. 
And  sometimes  he  worked  at  farmhouses 
for  bread  and  meat. 

The  men,  women,  and  children  always 
had  a  glad  welcome  for  him,  because 

"He  tossed  up  the  babes  and  joined  the  boys 
In  many  a  game  of  fun  and  noise/' 

At  night  they  all  sat  around  the  fire 
and  listened  to  his  songs  and  stories.  He 
told  them  how  the  owls  hooted  and  the 
prairie  dogs  barked  when  he  slept  on  the 
ground  alone.  He  told  of  wonderful  things 
that  happened  when  he  was  a  boy  in  a 
great  city.  Everybody  was  glad  when  he 
came  and  wanted  him  to  stay  a  long  time. 

"But  he  always  said,  'I  have  something  to  do, 
And  I  must  go  on  and  carry  it  through/' 

Then  off  he  went  again  with  his  bag  and 
his  sharp  cane,  stopping  here  and  there  to 
bore  another  hole  and  put  in  another  core. 

63 


The  farmer  boys  often  followed  him  for 
miles,  and  found  out  what  he  was  doing. 

"And  as  time  passed  and  he  worked  on, 
Every    one    called    him    old    Appleseed 
John/' 

Whenever  the  cores  gave  out,  back  to 
the  city  went  Appleseed  John  to  work  for 
more.  As  he  went  from  house  to  house, 
singing  and  working,  some  called  him  lazy, 
while  others  said  he  was  only  crazy.  But 
on  and  on  he  went,  planting  the  apple 
seeds  far  and  wide  over  hillside  and  prairie. 
Old  Appleseed  John  knew  that  in  after 
years  great  trees  would  tell  the  story  of  his 
work, 

'That   blossoming  sprays   would   form   fair 

bowers 

And  sprinkle  the  grass  with  rosy  showers; 
And  the  little  seeds  his  hands  had  spread 
Would  become  ripe  apples  when  he  was 

dead. 

So  he  kept  on  going  far  and  wide, 
Till  his  old  limbs  failed  him  and  he  died/' 

64 


DO  YOU? 

Three  wise  men  lived  in  Apple-tree  Town, 
So   wise  each  wore   a   big,   big  frown; 
But   they   couldn't  tell   whether 

Ahem!    Ahem! 
The  apple  seed  points  to  the  flower  or  stem. 

5  65 


'Tis  sad  but  true  that  none  of  them  knew. 
Do  you?     Do  you?     Do  you? 

Three  wise  men  from  Apple-tree  Town 

APRIL 

Good  morning,  sweet  April, 
So  winsome  and  shy, 
With  a  smile  on  your  lip 
And  a  tear  in  your  eye! 
There  are  pretty  hepaticas 
Hid  in  your  hair, 
And  bonny  blue  violets 
Clustering  there. 

AN   APPLE   ORCHARD    IN   THE 
SPRING 

Have    you    seen    an    apple    orchard    in    the 
spring? 

In  the  spring? 

An  English  apple  orchard  in  the  spring? 
When  the  spreading  trees  are  hoary 
With  their  wealth  of  promised  glory, 
And  the  mavis  pipes  his  story, 

In  the  spring! 

66 


Have   you   plucked   the   apple   blossoms   in 

the  spring? 
In  the  spring? 

And  caught  their  subtle  odors  in  the  spring? 
Pink  buds  bursting  at  the  light, 
Crumpled  petals  baby  white, 
Just  to  touch  them  a  delight! 
In  the  spring! 

WILLIAM  W.  MARTIN. 

Drill  on  a  as  in  care: 

bare  cared  care 

rare          dared  careful 

scare         scared  carefully 

square         scarecrow  compare 

Seat  Work: 

Answer  each  of  the  following  questions: 

1.  What  color  are  apple  blossoms? 

2.  When  do  they  come? 

3.  What  kind  of  an  odor  have  they? 

4.  Have  you  ever  picked  apple  blossoms? 

5.  What  bird  is  mentioned  in  the  lesson? 

6.  Did  you  ever  hear  a  thrush  sing? 

7.  What  kind  of  apples  do  you  like? 

67 


THE   REAL   PRINCESS 

"Dear  me!  Dear  me!"  said  a  prince 
one  day.  "I  have  traveled  almost  all  over 
the  world  looking  for  a  real  princess,  and  I 
can't  find  one  anywhere.  I  want  to  marry 
a  princess,  but  I  must  be  sure  she  is  a  real 
one  before  I  marry  her.  Yes,  I  must  be  sure 
she  is  a  real  princess.  There  are  princesses 
enough,  but  there  is  always  something  that 
does  not  seem  just  right  about  them." 

So  the  prince  returned  home  and  was 
very  unhappy. 

One  night  there  was  a  terrible  storm. 
The  wind  blew  and  blew;  it  thundered  and 
lightened,  and  the  rain  poured  down  in 
torrents. 

In  the  middle  of  the  storm  there  was  a 
knocking,  knocking,  knocking,  at  the  castle 
gate.  "I  wonder  who  can  be  out  in  this 
terrible  storm,"  said  the  kind  old  king  as 
he  went  down  to  open  the  gate.  It  was 
a  real  princess  who  stood  waiting  at  the 
castle  gate.  She  did  not  look  like  one 
because  the  wind  had  almost  blown  her  to 

68 


pieces  and  the  water  ran  in  streams  from 
her  hair  and  clothes.  It  ran  in  at  the  toes 
of  her  shoes  and  out  at  the  heels.  So  she 
did  n't  look  at  all  like  a  princess,  yet  she 
said  she  was  a  real  one. 

"A  real  princess/'  thought  the  old  queen; 
"well,  I  never  heard  of  a  real  princess  being 
out  in  such  a  terrible  storm.  No,  I  never 
heard  of  a  real  princess  with  water  running 
in  at  the  toes  of  her  shoes  and  out  at  the 
heels,  but  we  can  soon  find  out/' 

She  said  nothing,  but  went  into  a  bed- 
room, took  off  all  the  bedding,  and  put  a 
small  dried  pea  on  the  bottom  of  the  bed- 
stead. Then  she  took  twenty  mattresses, 
and  piled  them  on  top  of  the  pea.  And  on 
top  of  the  twenty  mattresses  she  piled 
twenty  feather  beds.  Now  think  of  twenty 
mattresses  and  twenty  feather  beds  piled 
on  one  bedstead!  Well,  that  is  what  the 
princess  had  to  sleep  on  that  night. 

In  the  morning  they  asked  her  how  she 
had  slept.  "Oh,  miserably,  miserably !" 
said  the  princess.  "I  hardly  closed  my 

69 


In  the  morning  they  asked  her  how  she  had  slept 

eyes  all  night  long.  I  don't  know  what 
was  in  my  bed.  But  I  slept  upon  some- 
thing so  hard  that  I  am  black  and  blue  all 
over.  It  was  dreadful,  dreadful  to  sleep 
upon  anything  so  hard/' 

70 


Then  they  knew  she  was  a  real  princess 
without  a  doubt,  because  through  twenty 
mattresses  and  twenty  feather  beds  she  had 
felt  the  pea.  No  one  but  a  real,  real  prin- 
cess could  have  such  a  tender  skin.  So  the 
prince  was  happy  and  took  her  for  his  wife. 
He  knew  she  was  a  real  princess.  And  the 
pea  was  put  in  a  museum,  where  it  is  to  this 
very  day  unless  some  one  has  taken  it  away. 

HANS  CHRISTIAN  ANDERSEN. 


ince 

ice 

since 

age 

c 

nice 

prince 

face 

juicy 

mice 

princess 

place 

saucy 
c  means  the  soft  sound  of  c. 

Seat  IVork: 

Answer  the  following  questions: 

1.  What  did  the  prince  do  to  find  a  real 
princess? 

2.  How  did  he  feel  when  he  returned  home? 

3.  What  kind  of  a  storm  came? 

4.  Who  opened  the  gate  of  the  castle? 

5.  How  did  the  princess  look? 

71 


6.  What   did   the   queen   do   to  find  out 
if  she  were  a  real  princess? 

7.  How  did   the   princess  say  she  slept? 

8.  What    did    the    prince    do    when    he 
found    out   she    was    a    real    princess? 

IN  TRUST 

It's  coming,  boys, 
It's  almost  here; 
It's  coming,  girls, 
The  grand  New  Year! 
A  year  to  be  glad  in, 
Not  to  be  bad  in; 
A  year  to  live  in, 
To  gain  and  give  in; 
A  year  for  trying, 
And  not  for  sighing; 
A  year  for  striving, 
And  hearty  thriving; 
A  bright  New  Year. 
Oh!  hold  it  dear; 
For  God  who  sendeth, 
He  only  lendeth. 

MARY  MAPES  DODGE. 

72 


g  g  g  g 

give          gray  hug          tag 

gain          Gray  Back          snug          bag 
grain         Graybeard         shrug         wagon 
g  means  the  hard  sound  of  g. 

TOMMY  TINKER'S  CHARM  STRING 

Tommy  Tinker  was  getting  up  a  charm 
string.  So  were  Bobby  Shaftoe  and  Daffy- 
down-dilly  and  the  Queen  of  Hearts  and 
many  of  the  other  children  in  the  village. 

You  know  what  a  charm  string  is.  Just 
ever  so  many  pretty  buttons  strung  together 
and  worn  around  your  neck.  There  are  glass 
buttons,  silver  buttons,  gold  buttons,  brass 
buttons,  jet  buttons,  pearl  buttons,  and  all 
kinds  of  buttons. 

Daffy-down-dilly  had  the  prettiest  button 
of  all;  everybody  said  so.  No  one  else  had 
one  like  it;  even  the  Schoolmaster  knew  that. 

But  something  sorrowful  happened  one 
day,  for  Daffy-down-dilly  lost  her  pretty 
button  in  the  grass.  It  was  red,  with  a 
gold  star,  and  though  she  looked  and  looked, 

73 


it  couldn't  be  found.  So  she  had  to  go 
home  without  it. 

Early  the  next  morning  Tommy  Tinker 
passed  that  way  and  found  the  button 
lying  in  the  grass. 

First,  Tommy  Tinker  said,  "Oh,  it  is 
Daffy-down-dilly's  prettiest  button!  I  will 
run  and  carry  it  to  her  right  now/' 

Next,  he  said,  "No,  I'll  put  it  on  my 
string  just  for  to-day.  Daffy-down-dilly 
won't  care.  To-morrow  I  '11  take  it  to  her." 

But  when  the  next  day  came  the  button 
looked  so  pretty  on  his  string  Tommy  Tinker 
couldn't  bear  to  take  it  off.  And,  dear  me! 
He  kept  it  another  day.  How  dreadful! 

Tommy  Tinker  felt  very  queer  somehow. 
Why,  he  even  did  not  want  to  meet  Mother 
Goose,  nor  the  Schoolmaster,  nor  the  Old 
Woman  who  never  told  lies,  nor, — Daffy- 
down-dilly,  his  very  best  friend. 

And  queerest  of  all,  he  didn't  like  to 
wear  his  charm  string  any  more,  but  kept 
it  wadded  up  in  his  trousers  pocket. 

"How  dreadful,"   said   Tommy   Tinker's 

74 


#e  slipped  the  button  into  Daffy-down-dilly's  hand 

buttons,  "to  be  kept  here  in  the  dark  this 
way!  We  love  the  light.  What  can  be 
the  matter  with  Tommy  Tinker? " 

You  know  what  was  the  matter  with 
Tommy  Tinker.  And  Tommy  Tinker  knew 
what  was  the  matter,  too.  And  what's 

75 


more,  the  big  hall  clock  knew  what  was  the 
matter.  For  when  Tommy  Tinker  stood 
looking  at  its  honest  face  it  said,  "  Tick- 
tack,  tick-tack,  take-it-back,  take-it-back !" 

Then  what  do  you  think  Tommy  Tinker 
did?  Ran  just  as  fast  as  ever  he  could  and 
slipped  the  button  into  Daffy-down-dilly's 
hand.  And  Daffy-down-dilly  was  so  glad. 

And  Tommy  Tinker  was  so  glad.  Then 
he  wore  his  charm  string  on  his  neck  again, 
and  the  buttons  were  glad  to  be  in  the  light. 
MADGE  A.  BIGHAM  in  "  Stories  of  Mother  Goose  Village.11 

ool  oom  ood 

cool  room          food 

pool  bloom        brood 

Schoolmaster         gloom          doodle-doo 
oo  means  the  long  sound  of  oo. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Draw  a  picture  of  a  charm  string. 

2.  Write  words  that  rime  with  jet,  gold, 
string^  button,  right,  pocket,  clock,  glad,  face. 

3.  What  did  you  learn  from  this  story? 

4.  Copy  and  memorize  the  following: 

76 


BUTTONS 

Buttons,  a  farthing  a  pair! 
Come,  who  will  buy  them  of  me? 
They're  round  and  sound  and  pretty, 
And  fit  for  girls  of  the  city. 
Come,  who  will  buy  them  of  me? 

Buttons,  a  farthing  a  pair! 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN 

PART  I 

The  pig  and  the  hen, 
They  both  got  in  one  pen, 

And  the  hen  said  she  wouldn't  go  out. 
"Mistress  Hen/'  says  the  pig, 
"Don't  you  be  quite  so  big!" 

And  he  gave  her  a  push  with  his  snout. 

"You  are  rough,  and  you're  fat, 
But  who  cares  for  all  that; 

I  will  stay  if  I  choose,"  says  the  hen. 
"No,  mistress,  no  longer!" 
Says  pig,  "I'm  the  stronger, 

And  mean  to  be  boss  of  my  pen!" 

77 


Then  the  hen  cackled  out 

Just  as  close  to  his  snout 
As  she  dare:  "You're  an  ill-natured  brute; 

And  if  I  had  the  corn, 

Just  as  sure  as  I'm  born, 
I  would  send  you  to  starve  or  to  root!" 

"But  you  don't  own  the  cribs; 
So  I  think  that  my  ribs 
Will  be  never  the  leaner  for  you: 

78 


This  trough  is  my  trough, 
And  the  sooner  you're  off/' 
Says  the  pig,  "why  the  better  you'll  do!" 

"You're  not  a  bit  fair, 

And  you're  cross  as  a  bear; 
What  harm  do  I  do  in  your  pen? 

But  a  pig  is  a  pig, 

And  I  don't  care  a  fig 
For  the  worst  you  can  say,"  says  the  hen. 

Copy  these  words  and  mark  all  o  and  oo 
sounds: 

both  root        Goose        own  choose 

Tommy     close       sooner       knocking     look 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN 
PART  II 

Says  the  pig,  "You  will  care 

If  I  act  like  a  bear 
And  tear  your  two  wings  from  your  neck/' 

"What  a  nice  little  pen 

You  have  got!"  says  the  hen, 
Beginning  to  scratch  and  to  peck. 

79 


Now  the  pig  stood  amazed 

And  the  bristles,  upraised 
A  moment  past,  fell  down  so  sleek. 

" Neighbor  Biddy/'  says  he, 

"If  you'll  just  allow  me, 
I  will  show  you  a  nice  place  to  pick!" 

So  she  followed  him  off, 
And  they  ate  from  one  trough- 
They  had  quarreled  for  nothing,  they  saw; 

80 


And  when  they  had  fed, 
"Neighbor  Hen,"  the  pig  said, 
"Won't  you  stay  here  and  roost  in  my  straw?" 

"No,  I  thank  you;  you  see 

That  I  sleep  in  a  tree," 
Says  the  hen;  "but  I  must  go  away; 

So  a  grateful  good-by." 

"Make  your  home  in  my  sty," 
Says  the  pig,  "and  come  in  every  day." 

Now  my  child  will  not  miss 

The  true  moral  of  this 
Little  story  of  anger  and  strife; 

For  a  word  spoken  soft 

Will  turn  enemies  oft 
Into  friends  that  will  stay  friends  for  life. 

ALICE  GARY. 

"A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath!' 

Ph 

gh  zephyr  gh 

rough  elephant  trough 

Seat  Work: 

Make  the  following  sentences  into  questions : 
1.  The  pig  was  very  cross. 

6  81 


2.  The    pig    and    the    hen   quarreled    for 
nothing. 

3.  At  last  they  were  friends. 

4.  A  soft  answer  turns  away  wrath. 

THE  PIG  AND  THE  HEN 

(Dramatization) 

SCHOOL:  The  pig  and  the  hen, 

They  both  got  in  one  pen, 
And  the  hen  said   she   wouldn't 

go  out. 

PIG:  Get  out  of  my  pen! 
J  HEN:  I'll  not  get  out  of  your  pen.     I'll 
stay  here  as  long  as  I  please. 

PIG:  No,  you  won't.  I  am  bigger  and 
stronger  than  you.  I  intend  to  be  boss  of 
my  pen. 

SCHOOL:  Then  the  hen  cackled  out 
Just  as  close  to  his  snout 
As  she  dare: 

HEN:  You're  an  ill-natured  brute.  If  I 
owned  the  corn  I  would  not  give  you  a  bit. 
I'd  see  you  starve  first. 

82 


PIG:  Oh,  you  would,  would  you?  Well, 
you  don't  own  the  corn,  and  the  sooner 
you  leave  the  better  it  will  be  for  you. 

HEN:  You're  as  cross  as  a  bear!  But  a 
pig  is  a  pig,  and  I  don't  care  a  fig  for  the 
worst  you  can  say. 

PIG:  You  will  care  if  I  act  like  a  bear, 
and  tear  your  two  wings  from  your  neck. 

HEN:  What  a  fine  little  pen  you  have! 
What  a  nice  fat  pig  you  are! 

SCHOOL:  Now  the  pig  stood  amazed, 
And  the  bristles,  upraised 
A  moment  past,  fell  down  so  sleek. 
PIG:  Neighbor  Biddy,  if  you'll  just  come 
with  me  I  will  show  you  a  nice  place  to  pick. 
SCHOOL:  So  she  followed  him  off, 

And  they  ate  from  one  trough- 
They  had  quarreled  for  nothing, 

they  saw. 

(The pig  and  the  hen  eat  together,  from  one 
trough.} 

PIG:  Won't  you  stay  and  roost  in  my 
straw,  Neighbor  Hen?  You  can't  find  a 
better  place. 

83 


HEN:  No,  thank  you,  my  friend.  I  sleep 
in  a  tree,  and  I  'd  better  be  saying  good-by. 

PIG:  Good-by,  Neighbor  Hen.  I  hope 
to  see  you  again.  Good-by. 

ar  arm  arp 

far  farm  sharp 

starve  charm  Sharp  Eyes 

farthing         farmhouses  carpenter 

a  means  the  sound of 'a  as  in  far. 

THE   MAN   IN   THE   MOON 

(Read  the  story  silently  and  then  tell  it) 

This  is  a  very  old  story  about  the  man 
in  the  moon. 

One  Sunday  a  man  said,  "I  must  get 
some  wood  to-day/' 

"No,  no!"  said  his  wife.  "It  is  Sunday. 
We  must  not  work;  we  must  rest/' 

"I  do  not  care  if  it  is  Sunday,"  said  the 
man.  "I  am  going  to  work  in  the  woods." 

The  squirrels  saw  the  man  working  in 
the  woods,  and  they  ran  away;  the  birds 
saw  the  man,  and  they  flew  away.  Then  a 

84 


"Can't  you  see  that  I  am  getting  wood?" 

giant   came    along,    and    he    saw    the    man 
working    on    Sunday. 

"What  are  you  doing?"  said  he. 

"Can't  you  see  that  I  am  getting  wood?" 

"Do  you  know  what  day  it  is?" 

"Yes,  but  I  don't  care." 

85 


"Very  well;  then  you  must  leave  the 
earth  and  go  and  live  in  the  moon.  There 
you  shall  always  carry  fagots  on  your  back/' 

Some  people  think  to  this  day  they  can 
see  the  man  in  the  moon,  with  the  load  of 

fagots  on  his  back. 

Old  German  Tale. 

g  g  g  g 

gentle  change          ridge  giant 

gently  manger       bridge       imagination 

gentleman      danger       dodge          pigeons 
g  means  the  soft  sound  of  g. 

Expression  through  Force: 

Stop!     Halt!        Forward!     March!     Go! 
Fire!     Stand!      Fly!  Scream! 

Stand!     Don't  take  one  step! 
Scream!     Scream  as  hard  as  you  can! 
Stop!     Not  another  word! 

Expression  through  Word  Painting: 
I  think  't  would  be  fun  to  live  in  a  nest 
And  to  snuggle  down  under  a  mother  bird's 
breast. 

86 


But,  oh,  dear  me!     I  know  I  should  squirm 
When    the    father    bird    brought    me    a    fat 

little  worm. 
I  know  I  should  squirm,  squirm,  squirm. 

LITTLE   PILGRIM   PEOPLE 
PART  I 

"Over  the  sea  in  a  white  winged  ship 

A  weary  journey  to  go, 
Came  fathers  and  mothers,  children,  too, 

In  the  days  of  long  ago. 
Let  us  bless  the  wind  that  blew  them  here, 

For  surely  the  world  must  know 
How  stout  were  their  arms  and  brave  their 
hearts, 

In  the  days  of  long  ago." 

You  have  all  heard  about  the  brave 
grown-up  Pilgrim  people.  How  they  came 
over  in  the  Mayflower  and  found  the  red 
men  living  here.  How  they  built  their 
homes  and  planted  corn  and  pumpkins. 
How  the  women  cooked  the  food  and  kept 
the  house  clean.  How  the  men  killed  the 

87 


deer  and  caught  the  fish.  How  they  had 
no  stoves,  but  just  an  open  fireplace,  in 
which  the  bright,  red  fire  roared  up  the 
chimney.  And  how  they  ate  their  first 
Thanksgiving  dinner.  Why,  of  course,  you 
have  heard  all  this. 

But  have  you  ever  heard  about  the 
little  Pilgrim  people  and  what  they  did  in 
the  days  of  long  ago?  They  were  sober, 
quiet  children,  those  little  Pilgrim  people. 
They  were  taught  to  obey.  They  must  go 
to  bed  at  sunset  and  rise  early  in  the 
morning.  For  the  Pilgrim  mothers  said, 

"  Early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise, 
Makes  a  man  healthy,  wealthy,  and  wise." 

And  you  should  have  seen  these  little 
Pilgrim  people  at  meal  times  when  they  all 
stood  up  around  the  table.  How  very  quiet 
they  had  to  be,  for  everybody  thought 
"children  should  be  seen  and  not  heard" 
in  those  days  of  long  ago. 

Now  these  children  were  taught  to  be 
very  helpful  little  people.  The  girls  helped 

88 


These  children  were  taught  to  be  very  helpful  little  people 

the  Pilgrim  mothers.  They  helped  to  sew 
and  make  the  clothes  for  the  men  and  boys. 
How  their  fingers  flew  as  they  knit  the 
stockings,  and  their  feet  as  they  spun  the 
wool!  They  swept  the  floor  with  the  birch 
brooms  the  Indians  showed  them  how  to 

89 


make,  and  scattered  fine  white  sand  upon  it. 

The  boys  worked  and  worked.  They 
helped  the  Pilgrim  fathers.  They  gathered 
wild  plums  and  juicy  grapes  for  the  mothers. 
There  was  corn  to  hoe,  and  wood  to  cut. 
There  were  pumpkins  to  gather. 

They  piled  the  logs  high  in  the  large 
open  fireplaces.  They  popped  corn,  sang 
songs,  and  helped  the  girls  string  apples. 

Oh,  they  were  as  busy  as  bees,  these 
little  Pilgrim  people!  But  with  all  their 
tasks  they  were  merry,  happy  little  children. 
For  them  there  was 

"A  time  for  work,  a  time  for  play, 
A  time  to  be  quiet,  and  a  time  to  be 
gay." 

Copy  words,  marking  all  c's  to  show 
their  sounds: 

fireplace  clothes  Creepy  recited 

cooked  certainly  saucy  Crawly 

company  excuse  claws  twice 

nice  caught  come  corn 

90 


LITTLE  PILGRIM  PEOPLE 
PART  II 

Now  it  may  be  you  are  wishing  that  you 
had  been  one  of  these  little  Pilgrim  children. 
It  may  be  you  are  thinking  they  had  no 
schools  and  no  lessons  to  learn  in  those  days 
of  long  ago.  But  you  are  mistaken.  Just 
as  soon  as  they  could  walk  and  talk  they 
went  to  school  and  learned  their  lessons. 

Pilgrim  children  must  not  grow  up  to  be 
ignorant  men  and  women,  those  early  people 
thought.  They  must  grow  to  be  careful 
Pilgrim  mothers.  They  must  grow  to  be 
wise,  manly  Pilgrim  fathers.  They  must  be 
thrifty,  careful  people.  So  to  school  went 
all  the  Pilgrim  children. 

The  school  was  held  in  a  cabin  with 
some  good  Pilgrim  mother  for  the  teacher. 
Often  she  kept  on  with  her  housework  while 
the  children  did  sums  or  recited  their  lessons. 

What  strange  schools  they  had  for  the 
little  Pilgrim  people!  The  girls  were  taught 
a  little  reading,  a  little  writing,  and  a 

great    deal    of    spinning    and    sewing.     No 

91 


need  for  girls  to  learn  much  reading  and 
writing,  these  early  people  thought.  It  was 
best  for  them  to  learn  to  spin  and  sew 
and  to  keep  the  house  clean.  There  were  no 
pretty  books  to  read,  and  there  was  not  much 
to  learn  in  those  days  of  long,  long  ago. 

The  Sabbath  day  was  the  hardest  of  all 
for  the  little  people.  It  began  on  Saturday 
and  ended  at  sunset  on  Sunday.  The  noise 
was  hushed,  the  play  was  stopped,  and 
every  one  kept  very  quiet.  No  child  dared 
laugh!  No  child  dared  play  all  through 
the  long,  long  Sabbath  day. 

They  nearly  always  went  to  church.  It 
was  a  very  bad  storm  indeed  that  could  keep 
them  away  from  church  on  the  Sabbath  day. 
And  if  the  fathers  and  mothers  went,  why, 
of  course,  the  little  Pilgrims  must  go  also. 

The  girls  sat  on  one  side  and  the  boys 
on  the  other.  How  still  they  had  to  sit, 
and  how  quiet  they  had  to  be  while  they 
listened  to  the  sermons! 

Just  behind  stood  the  tithingman,  keeping 
watch  over  the  children.  In  his  hand  he 

92 


carried  a  long  pole,  on  one  end  of  which  was 
a  rabbit's  tail  and  on  the  other  a  hard  knob. 
If  he  saw  a  little  girl  napping,  why,  he 
was  sure  to  tickle  her  with  the  tail.  And 
woe  to  the  boy  whom  he  caught  playing  on 
the  Sabbath  day!  Rap,  rap!  went  the  hard 
knob  on  the  top  of  his  head,  and  it  wasn't 
a  very  gentle  rap,  either.  It  was  almost  sure 

93 


to  start  the  tears,  and  sometimes  it  left  a 
bump  to  tell  the  story  of  what  had  happened. 
These  little  Pilgrim  people  grew  strong 
and  brave,  and  we  often  think  of  the  many 
hardships  they  had  to  endure  in  the  days 
of  long,  long  ago. 

Phonic  Drill: 

Notice  vowel  markings  and  pronounce  sounds: 

sunset  Pilgrims        tithing    stockings 

these  mistaken       cabins    endure 

fireplace       tick-tack       open       take-it-back 

Exercise  for  Enunciation: 

The  Pilgrim  people  planted  plump  pump- 
kins. 

Twenty  thirsty  tailors  tiptoed  to  the  tent. 

The  queen  quickly  quarreled  with  the 
queer  question. 

Seat  Work: 

Answer  these  questions: 

1.  From  what  country  did  the  Pilgrims  come? 

2.  Who  gave  them  the  corn  to  plant? 

3.  What  did  the  Pilgrims  say  about  children 

going  to  bed  early? 

94 


THE  SNOWBIRD 

When  all  the  ground  with  snow  is  white, 
The  merry  snowbird  comes, 

And  hops  about  with  great  delight 
To  find  the  scattered  crumbs. 

How  glad  he  seems  to  get  to  eat 

A  piece  of  cake  or  bread! 
He  wears  no  shoes  upon  his  feet, 

Nor  hat  upon  his  head! 

But  happiest  is  he,  I  know, 
Because  no  cage  with  bars 

95 


Keeps  him  from  walking  on  the  snow, 
And  printing  it  with  stars. 

FRANK  DEMPSTER  SHERMAN. 

Seat  Work: 

1.  Cut  stars  like  those  the  snowbird  makes 
with  his  feet. 

2.  Draw  a  picture  of  the  snowbird. 

3.  Give  words  that  rime  with  cage,  snow, 
ground,  stars,  cake,  hops. 

MY  LADY  WIND 

My  Lady  Wind  is  very  tall, 

As  tall  as  she  can  be; 

Her  hands  can  shake  the  tallest  bough 

Upon  the  tallest  tree, 

And  even  reach  up  to  the  sky, 

And  twirl  the  clouds  about, 

And  rattle  them  for  thundering, 

And  shake  the  raindrops  out. 

And  yet  so  light,  so  light  she  steps 

Upon  the  flowers  and  grass, 

They  only  need  to  bow  their  heads 

To  let  my  lady  pass. 

96 


You  cannot  see  my  Lady  Wind, 

Though  you  can  hear  her  plain, 

And  watch  her  tread  the  clovers  down 

That  rise  so  quick  again. 

And  I  know  just  how  she  would  look, 

So  tall  and  full  of  grace, 

With  bright  hair  streaming  out  behind, 

And  such  a  lovely  face! 

My  Lady  Wind  is  grand  and  strong 
And  yet  so  full  of  glee, 
She  almost  says,  "My  little  maid, 
Come,  have  a  race  with  me." 

ei  and  ey  sometimes  say  a 

ei  ey 

ei  sleigh  they  ei 

eight          neighbor         obey          reindeer 

HOW  FIRE  CAME  TO  THE  INDIANS 

Once,  long,  long  ago,  they  say  there  was 
but  one  spark  of  fire  upon  all  the  earth,  and 
that  spark  was  guarded  by  two  old  witches. 

Now  the  Indians  wanted  the  spark  of  fire 
to  use,  and  they  planned  a  way  to  get  it. 
7  97 


All  the  animals  promised  to  help  them,  and 
the  coyote  was  to  be  the  leader. 

Just  outside  the  Indian  village,  the  coyote 
placed  a  frog;  a  little  farther  on,  he  set  a 
squirrel;  beyond  the  squirrel  he  set  a  serpent; 
beyond  the  serpent  he  set  a  wolf;  beyond" 
the  wolf  he  set  a  wild  horse;  beyond  the  wild 
horse  he  set  a  lion;  and  beyond  the  lion 
was  the  old  witches'  house. 

The  old  witches  were  often  lonely,  and 
after  all  the  animals  were  in  their  places 

98 


the  coyote  went  to  call  upon  them.  They 
were  very  glad  to  see  him,  and  after  a  few 
minutes'  talk  the  coyote  said:  "The  Indi- 
ans are  in  need  of  fire.  Can  you  not  spare 
them  one  small  ember? " 

But  the  witches  answered,  "It  has  been 
left  to  us  to  guard,  and  we  dare  not  give 
away  the  tiniest  spark/' 

At  that  the  coyote  went  to  the  window 
and  looked  out,  and  as  that  was  the  signal 
that  had  been  agreed  upon  between  himself 
and  the  other  animals,  the  lion  began  to 
roar;  the  wild  horse  began  to  neigh;  the 
wolf  began  to  howl;  the  serpent  began  to 
hiss;  the  squirrel  began  to  chatter;  and  the 
frog  began  to  croak. 

The  two  old  witches  were  so  frightened 
by  the  terrible  noise  that  they  ran  outside 
to  see  what  it  was  all  about. 

At  that  the  coyote  seized  an  ember  in 
his  mouth  and  ran  away  with  it. 

The  old  witches  saw  the  flashing  ember 
and  started  after.  Faster  than  the  wind 
they  flew,  and  would  soon  have  overtaken 

99 


the  coyote,  but  just  as  his  strength  gave 
out  he  reached  the  lion,  and  laying  down 
the  spark  of  fire,  he  said  to  the  lion,  "Here, 
friend,  haste  away  with  it." 

The  lion  picked  up  the  ember  and  bounded 
away,  with  the  witches  in  hot  pursuit;  but 
just  as  his  strength  gave  out  he  reached 
the  wild  horse,  and  laying  down  the  spark 
of  fire,  he  said  to  the  wild  horse,  "Here, 
friend,  haste  away  with  it." 

The  wild  horse  picked  up  the  ember  and 
galloped  away,  with  the  witches  in  hot  pur- 
suit; but  just  as  his  strength  gave  out  he 
reached  the  wolf,  and  laying  down  the  spark 
of  fire,  he  said  to  the  wolf,  "Here,  friend, 
haste  away  with  it." 

The  wolf  picked  up  the  ember  and  loped 
away,  the  witches  in  hot  pursuit;  but  just  as 
his  strength  gave  out  he  reached  the  serpent, 
and  laying  down  the  spark  of  fire,  he  said  to 
the  serpent,  "Here,  friend,  haste  away  with  it." 

The  serpent  picked  up  the  ember  and 
glided  away,  the  witches  in'  hot  pursuit;  but 
just  as  his  strength  gave  out  he  reached  the 

100 


squirrel,  and  laying  down  the  spark  of  fire, 
he  said  to  the  squirrel,  "Here,  friend,  haste 
away  with  it." 

The  squirrel  picked  up  the  ember  and  ran 
away,  the  witches  in  hot  pursuit;  but  just  as 
his  strength  gave  out  he  reached  the  frog,  and 
laying  down  the  spark  of  fire,  he  said  to  the 
frog,  "Here,  friend,  haste  away  with  it." 

The  frog  picked  up  the  ember  and  hopped 

101 


a.wayj>;with  the  witches  in  hot  pursuit.  But 
the  witches  were  too  swift  for  him,  and  they 
caught  him  by  the  tail.  The  frog  was  so 
frightened  that  his  eyes  bulged,  but  he  gave 
one  more  great  jump,  and,  leaving  his  tail 
in  the  witches'  hands,  he.  hopped  into  the 
midst  of  the  Indian  village 

And  so  the    Indians   had   fire!     But   the 
frog  lost  his  tail,  and  his  eyes  have   bulged 
ever  since. 
Old  Indian  Legend,  retold  by  JULIA  DARROW  COWLES. 

Phonic  Drill: 

Say  long  a,  e,  i,  o,  u  in  a  light  tone 
a,  e,  i,  o,  u  in  a  deep  tone 
a,  e,  i,  o,  u  in  a  questioning  tone 
a,  e,  i,  o,  u  in  a  forceful  tone 

Exercise  for  Enunciation: 

With  the  skin  he  made  him  mittens; 
Made  them  with  the  fur  side  inside; 
Made  them  with  the  skin  side  outside; 
He,  to  get  the  warm  side  inside, 
Put  the  inside  skin  side  outside; 
He,  to  get  the  cold  side  outside, 

102 


Put  the  warm  side,  fur  side  inside. 
That's  why  he  put  the  fur  side  inside, 
Why  he  put  the  skin  side  outside. 
Why  he  turned  them  inside  outside. 

SPRING 

The  alder  by  the  river 

Shakes  out  her  powdery  curls; 
The  willow  buds  in  silver 

For  little  boys  and  girls. 

The  little  birds  fly  over, 

And  oh,  how  sweet  they  sing! 

To  tell  the  happy  children 
That  once  again  'tis  spring. 

The  gay  green  grass  comes  creeping 
So  soft  beneath  their  feet; 

The  frogs  begin  to  ripple 
A  music  clear  and  sweet. 

And  buttercups  are  coming, 

And  scarlet  columbine, 
And  in  the  sunny  meadows 

The  dandelions  shine. 
103 


And  just  as  many  daisies 
As  their  soft  hands  can  hold 

The  little  ones  may  gather, 
All  fair  in  white  and  gold. 

Here  blows  the  warm  red  clover, 
There  peeps  the  violet  blue; 

O  happy  little  children! 

God  made  them  all  for  you. 

CELIA  THAXTER. 

Phonic  drill  on  e  as  in  over: 


er           der             ter 
clover        alder       matter 
silver        elders     rooster 
clever     powdery     butter 

er 
gather 
farther 
feather 

driver      ladder        buttercups    whither 

Exercise  for  Expression; 

"To-morrow  I'll  do  it,"  says  Bennie; 
"I  will,  by  and  by,"  says  Seth; 
"Not  now — pretty  soon,"  says  Jennie; 
"In  a  minute,"  says  little  Beth. 
Oh,  dear  little  people,  remember 

104 


That,  true  as  the  stars  in  the  sky, 
The  little  streets  of  To-morrow, 
Pretty  Soon,  and  By  and  By 
Lead  one  and  all 
To  the  city  of  Not  at  All. 

MR.  AND  MRS.  SPIKKY  SPARROW 

I 

On  a  little  piece  of  wood 
Mr.  Spikky  Sparrow  stood: 
Mrs.  Sparrow  sat  close  by, 
A-making  of  an  insect  pie 
For  her  little  children  five, 
In  the  nest  and  all  alive; 
Singing  with  a  cheerful  smile, 
To  amuse  them  all  the  while, 
"Twikky  wikky  wikky  wee, 
Wikky  bikky  twikky  tee, 
Spikky  bikky  bee!" 

II 

Mrs,  Spikky  Sparrow  said, 
"Spikky,  darling!  in  my  head 

105 


Many  thoughts  of  trouble  come, 

Like  to  flies  upon  a  plum. 

All  last  night,  among  the  trees, 

I  heard  you  cough,  I  heard  you  sneeze; 

And  thought  I,  'It's  come  to  that 

Because  he  does  not  wear  a  hat!' 

Chippy  wippy  sikky  tee, 

Bikky  wikky  tikky  mee, 
Spikky  chippy  wee! 

106 


Ill 

"Not  that  you  are  growing  old; 

But  the  nights  are  growing  cold. 

No  one  stays  out  all  night  long 

Without  a  hat:  I'm  sure  it's  wrong! 

Mr.  Spikky  said,  "How  kind, 

Dear,  you  are,  to  speak  your  mind ! 

All  your  life  I  wish  you  luck! 

You  are,  you  are,  a  lovely  duck! 
Witchy  witchy  witchy  wee, 
Twitchy  witchy  witchy  bee, 
Tikky  tikky  tee! 

IV 

"I  was  also  sad  and  thinking, 
When  one  day  I  saw  you  winking, 
And  I  heard  you  sniffle-snuffle, 
And  I  saw  your  feathers  ruffle: 
To  myself  I  sadly  said, 
'She's  neuralgia  in  her  head! 
That  dear  head  has  nothing  on  it! 
Ought  she  not  to  wear  a  bonnet?' 
Witchy  kitchy  kitchy  wee, 
Spikky  wikky  mikky  bee, 
Chippy  wippy  chee! 

107 


V 

"Let  us  both  fly  up  to  town: 
There  I'll  buy  you  such  a  gown! 
Which,  completely  in  the  fashion, 
You  shall  tie  a  sky-blue  sash  on; 
And  a  pair  of  slippers  neat 
To  fit  your  darling  little  feet, 
So  that  you  will  look  and  feel 
Quite  galloobious  and  genteel. 

Jikky  wikky  bikky  see, 

Chikky  bikky  wikky  bee, 
Twicky  witchy  wee!" 

VI 

So  they  both  to  London  went, 
Alighting  on  the  Monument; 
Whence  they  flew  down  swiftly — pop! 
Into  Moses7  wholesale  shop: 
There  they  bought  a  hat  and  bonnet, 
And  a  gown  with  spots  upon  it, 
A  satin  sash  of  Cloxam  blue, 
And  a  pair  of  slippers  too. 
Zikky  wikky  mikky  bee, 
Witchy  witchy  mitchy  kee, 
Sikky  tikky  wee! 
108 


VII 

Then,  when  so  completely  dressed, 

Back  they  flew,  and  reached  their  nest. 

Their  children  cried,  "O  ma  and  pa! 

How  truly  beautiful  you  are!" 

Said  they,  "We  trust  that  cold  or  pain 

We  shall  never  feel  again; 

While,  perched  on  tree  or  house  or  steeple, 

We  now  shall  look  like  other  people. 

Witchy  witchy  witchy  wee, 

Twikky   mikky   bikky   bee, 

Zikky  sikky  tee!"  EDWARD  LEAR. 

109 


THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON  DOGS 
I,  THE  VOYAGE 

"Pull  in  the  gangplank,  boys!  Pull  in 
the  gangplank!" 

Slowly  the  old  ship  moved,  and  we  were 
off  to  a  new  and  strange  land.  Our  master 
was  a  sea  captain,  and  he  often  took  us  on 
long  trips  with  him;  but  we  didn't  like  to 
be  shut  up  in  a  cabin  and  hear  nothing  but 
the  splashing  of  the  water  all  the  time. 

Once  when  we  were  on  the  ocean  a 
terrible  storm  arose  and  it  lasted  for  days 
and  days.  The  ship  rolled,  and  tumbled, 
and  pitched,  and  finally  struck  a  great  rock. 
How  frightened  everybody  was  and  how 
they  screamed  and  ran  about!  Fan  and  I 
certainly  thought  we  were  going  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  Our  master  and  all  the 
passengers,  except  one  family,  jumped  into 
the  lifeboats  and  were  rowed  away. 

Mr.  Robinson,  his  wife,  and  four  boys 
were  in  the  cabin  when  the  crash  came, 
and  they  did  not  know  that  the  others  were 

no 


leaving  the  ship.  When  they  went  on  deck 
and  found  that  they  were  alone,  they  knelt 
in  prayer  and  asked  God  to  still  the  angry 
waves  and  to  take  care  of  them.  Next 
morning  the  sky  was  clear,  the  sea  smooth, 
and  land  in  sight. 

Mr.  Robinson  knew  that  the  wreck  would 
soon  go  to  pieces  and  that  they  must  reach 
land  in  some  way  or  be  drowned;  so  they 
made  a  raft  by  fastening  empty  tubs  together. 

James,  the  youngest  of  the  Robinson  boys, 
found  Fan  and  me  tied  in  the  captain's 
cabin.  He  liked  dogs,  and  the  moment  he 
saw  us  he  wanted  us  to  go  ashore  with  him, 
so  he  unfastened  our  chains  and  led  us  to 
the  raft.  But  his  father  shook  his  head  and 
said,  "No,  James,  they  are  too  heavy,  and 
would  eat  much  and  provide  nothing/' 

Fan  and  I  heard  what  they  said  but  we 
kept  still  and  nobody  knew  what  we  were 
thinking,  but  we  didn't  intend  to  stay  on 
that  ship  and  starve.  No,  indeed,  we  did 
not;  we  knew  too  much  for  that. 

Food,  clothes,  tools,  and  a  little  of 

in 


almost  everything  was  put  into  the  tubs; 
then  the  family  got  in  and  pushed  off  to 
sea.  The  boys  cried  when  they  saw  us 
standing  on  the  deck  looking  wistfully  at 
them;  but  Mr.  Robinson  said,  "No,  we 
cannot  take  them/' 

The  old  raft  moved  farther  and  farther 
away;  the  'ducks  and  the  geese  swam  beside 
it;  the  pigeons  flew  over  it;  and  then  came 

112 


a  great  splash,  and  Fan  and  I  were  close 
behind.  The  boys  clapped  their  hands  and 
shouted,  "Good  Turk!  Good  Fan!  Come 
with  us!"  That  was  just  what  we  intended 
to  do;  but  it  was  a  long  distance  to  land 
and  we  grew  very  tired  swimming  so  far. 
We  beat  the  raft,  though,  and  when  the  boys 
reached  the  shore  we  barked  a  welcome  to 
them. 

They  were  glad  to  have  Fan  and  me 
there,  and  at  once  called  us  "the  Swiss 
Family  Robinson  dogs." 

Phonic  drill  on  a  as  in  ask: 

ask  ast  fast  pass 

asked         past  faster  passed 

asking       master       unfastened  passing 

THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON  DOGS 
II.  OUR  NEW  HOME 

In  a  short  time  the  tent  was  up,  beds 
were  made,  and  lobster  soup  was  ready  for 
supper.  Fan  and  I  did  n't  like  soup,  so  we 
ate  raw  lobsters  and  clams.  Everybody  was 

8  113 


so  glad  to  be  on  land  that  eating  soup  with 
clam  shells  for  spoons,  sleeping  on  beds  of 
leaves,  and  hearing  wolves  howl  were  not 
hardships  at  all. 

Early  next  morning  Mr.  Robinson,  Fritz, 
and  I  started  off  to  see  the  island.  Fan 
was  left  at  home  to  take  care  of  Mrs.  Robin- 
son and  the  children. 

I  shall  never  forget  that  trip  as  long  as 
I  live.  I  saw  so  many  wonderful  things  I 
can't  remember  half  of  them.  There  were 
birds  with  bright  feathers,  strange  plants, 
wild  pigs,  and  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
monkeys  —  old  ones,  big  ones,  homely  ones, 
and  little  ones.  I  ran  right  into  the  middle 
of  a  troop  of  them,  and  in  a  twinkling  of 
an  eye  they  were  in  the  tops  of  the  tallest 
trees,  grinning  at  me.  I  pretended  that  I 
didn't  care,  but  I  did;  I  wanted  to  catch 
one  of  them. 

When  Fritz  and  his  father  came  and  saw 
the  monkeys  in  the  tops  of  the  trees  they 
threw  stones  at  them.  I  don't  believe  they 
tried  to  hit  them,  because  they  did  not 

114 


throw  straight  or  high  enough;  but  the 
monkeys  thought  they  did,  and  scolded  and 
scolded.  Pretty  soon  they  began  to  pick 
coconuts  and  to  throw  them  at  us.  That 
was  just  what  Mr.  Robinson  and  Fritz 
wanted,  and  they  laughed  as  they  filled 
their  bags  with  fresh  nuts. 

I  ran  ahead  and  soon  found  another 
troop  of  monkeys.  That  was  my  chance. 
An  old  mother  monkey  was  feeding  her 
baby  and  did  not  see  me  in  time  to  get 
away,  so  I  caught  her  and  killed  her  just 
as  I  would  a  rat.  Fritz  scolded  me  when 
he  came  up  and  saw  what  I  had  done,  and 
I  felt  ashamed  of  it.  He  took  the  little 
one  in  his  arms  and  began  to  pet  her.  But 
as  soon  as  I  came  near  she  scratched  and 
climbed  upon  his  back  and  was  terribly 
frightened. 

After  a  while  Fritz  grew  tired  and  said 
since  I  had  killed  her  mother  I  ought  to 
help  carry  the  baby.  So  he  put  her  on 
my  back  and  she  sat  up  and  rode  like 
a  monkey  in  a  circus.  I  did  n't  like  that 

115 


at  all,  but  I  thought  I  would  better  not 
say  so.  I  was  glad,  though,  that  she  grew 
tired  of  riding  and  jumped  off  before  we 
reached  home,  because  I  didn't  want  the 
boys  to  make  fun  of  me. 

They  heard  us  coming  and  ran  to  meet 
us.     The  moment  they  saw  the  baby  monkey 

116 


they  screamed,  "A  monkey!  A  monkey! 
Where  did  you  get  it?  How  did  you 
catch  it?" 

I  think  everybody  was  glad  then  that  I 
killed  the  mother  and  that  we  had  the 
baby.  She  was  named  Nip  at  once,  and 
always  was  a  great  pet  in  the  family.  At 
first  Nip  would  not  eat  anything,  so  the 
boys  dipped  handkerchiefs  in  coconut  milk 
and  gave  them  to  her  to  suck.  But  she 
soon  learned  to  eat,  and  often  stole  all  our 
eggs.  Nobody  seemed  to  think  it  was  bad- 
because  Nip  did  it,  I  suppose. 

a  a  a  a 

bare  rare  dare  air 

care    compare          scare          hair 

spare  dared     square  fairy 

a  means  the  sound  of  a  as  in   care. 

THE  SWISS  FAMILY  ROBINSON  DOGS 
III.  THE  FIGHT  WITH  THE  PORCUPINE 

One   day   Fan   and   I  had   a   hard   fight 
with  a  porcupine.     We  had  never  seen  such 

117 


r.  R. 


an  animal  before.  It  was  covered  with 
quills  that  were  as  sharp  as  needles,  and 
every  time  we  tried  to  fight  it  would  back 
up  against  us  and  prick  us  with  them. 

Fritz  heard  us  barking  and  came  out  to 
rescue  us  by  shooting  the  porcupine.  He 
knew  what  it  was  and  took  some  of  the 
quills  home  to  his  mother  to  sew  with. 
They  made  me  a  blanket  out  of  the  skin 

118 


of  the  porcupine,  and  when  I  had  that  on, 
all  covered  with  sharp  quills,  I  could  fight 
any  animal,  and  I  never  felt  at  all  afraid. 

Years  and  years  passed,  and  no  one 
came  to  the  island  to  disturb  us.  We  were 
happy  and  quite  content  with  our  wild  life, 
and  each  day  learned  something  new. 

We  caught  a  young  buffalo,  killed  packs 
of  wolves,  learned  how  to  fish,  and  had  one 
hard  fight  with  a  lion  and  lioness.  It  was 
in  this  fight  that  dear  Fan  lost  her  life. 

The  boys  dug  a  grave  for  her  and  placed 
a  large  flat  rock  over  it.  James  wrote  these 
lines,  and  they  would  have  been  put  on  her 
tombstone  if  we  had  lived  in  America: 

"Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  good  Fan. 
A  pattern  of  what  a  dog  should  be, 

A  model  of  fidelity, 
She  died  the  death  of  the  brave/' 

I  could  tell  many  more  things  about  our 
life  on  the  island,  but  I  want  you  to  read 
The  Swiss  Family  Robinson. 

Retold  from  "The  Swiss  Family  Robinson.'1 
119 


Seat  IVork: 

Describe  in  your  own  words  the  following 

1.  The  sailing  of  the  ship. 

2.  The  storm. 

3.  The  dogs. 

4.  Making  a  raft. 

5.  Sailing  of  the  raft. 

6.  The  island. 

7.  Bringing  the  monkey  home. 

8.  The  fight  with  the  porcupine. 

Copy  the  lines  that  were  written  for  Fan 

O  SAILOR,  COME  ASHORE 

0  sailor,  come  ashore. 

What  have  you  brought  for  me? 
Red  coral,  white  coral, 
Coral  from  the  sea. 

1  did  not  dig  it  from  the  ground, 

Nor  pluck  it  from  a  tree. 
Feeble  insects  made  it 
In  the  stormy  sea. 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 
120 


A  RIDDLE 

There  is  one  that  has  a  head  without  an  eye, 
And  there's  one  that  has  an  eye  without 

a  head; 
You  may  find  the  answer  if  you  try; 

And  when  all  is  said, 
Half  the  answer  hangs  upon  a  thread. 

CHRISTINA  ROSSETTI. 

Phonic  drill  on  o  as  in  or : 

orn  or 

or  corn  nor  orm 

for  horns  horse  storm 

fortune        morning        porcupine        stormy 

WILD   GEESE 

Honk,  honk,  honk! 
See  the  wild  geese  passing,  passing  by. 

Honk,  honk,  honk! 
Listen  to  them  calling,  calling  from  the  sky! 

Honk,  honk,  honk! 

Down  the  long  highway  they're  winging; 
Through    the     great     gray     vault     they're 
swinging; 

121 


From  far,  far  away  they're  bringing 
Greetings  from  the  icy  North! 
Honk,  honk,  honk! 

Loud  and  clear  their  cries  are  falling; 
From  the  vault  overhead  they're  calling; 
What  a  noisy  chorus  falling,  falling, 
As  they  hail  you  from  the  sky! 
Honk,  honk,  honk! 

Down  to  warmer  climes  they're  going; 
Down  to  waters  smoothly  flowing, 
Among  rice  fields  and  green  things  growing, 
Downward  to  the  sunny  South! 
Honk,  honk,  honk! 

122 


How  I  love  to  see  them  swinging, 
Love  to  hear  their  loud  cries  ringing, 
As  outspread  their  wings  they're  flinging, 
Strong-winged  travelers  of  the  sky! 
Honk,  honk,  honk! 

There  is  nothing  half  so  winning 
As  a  flock  of  wild  geese  swinging, 
Wild  geese  swiftly,  swiftly  winging, 
Winging  southward  in  the  fall! 
Honk,  honk,  honk! 

'Tis  a  joy  to  listen  to  the  call! 

Honk,  honk,  honk! 
Of  wild  geese  going  southward  in  the  fall! 

Honk,  honk,  honk! 

MINA  HOLTON  PAGE. 

Seat  IVork; 

Copy  these  words,  draw  a  line  through 
silent  letters,  and  mark  the  sounds  you 
know : 

fidelity  geese      bedroom      sighing 

strong-winged     unless     outspread     smoothly 

123 


THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 

I.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  MEETS  THE  LITTLE  DANCER 

There  were  once  five-and-twenty  tin  sol- 
diers— all  brothers,  for  they  had  all  been 
born  of  one  old  tin  spoon. 

They  shouldered  their  muskets  and  looked 
straight  before  them.  They  wore  splendid 
uniforms  of  red  and  blue.  When  the  lid 
was  taken  off  the  box  in  which  they  lay, 
the  first  words  they  heard  in  the  world 
were,  "Tin  Soldiers!"  This  was  said  by  a 
little  boy  who  clapped  his  hands  with  joy 
because  the  soldiers  had  been  given  to  him 
for  his  birthday. 

Each  soldier  was  exactly  like  the  others, 
except  one  that  had  but  one  leg  because  he 
had  been  born  last  and  there  had  not  been 
enough  tin  to  finish  him.  But  he  stood  as 
well  upon  his  one  leg  as  the  others  did 
upon  their  two.  And  this  is  the  one  soldier 
that  did  anything  at  all  worth  talking  about. 

Of  all  the  other  toys  that  stood  on  the 
table  on  which  the  Tin  Soldier  had  been 
placed,  the  one  that  attracted  the  most 

124 


attention  was  a  castle  made  of  cardboard. 
Through  its  little  windows  one  could  see 
straight  into  the  many  rooms.  Outside  of 
the  castle  little  trees  stood  about  a  small 
lake  that  was  made  of  looking-glass.  Swans 
of  wax  swam  on  this  lake  and,  looking 
downward,  saw  their  reflections  in  the  clear 
water. 

But,    pretty    as   this   was,    the    prettiest 

125 


thing  of  all  was  a  little  lady  standing  in 
the  open  door  of  the  cardboard  castle.  She, 
too,  was  cut  out  of  paper  ;  and  she  wore  a 
dress  of  the  purest  gauze.  A  little  narrow 
ribbon  was  worn  over  her  shoulders  like  a 
scarf,  and  in  the  middle  of  this  ribbon  was 
a  shining  tinsel  rose. 

The  little  lady  stretched  out  both  her 
arms,  for  she  was  a  dancer,  and  then  lifted 
one  foot  so  high  in  the  air  that  the  soldier 
could  not  see  it  at  all,  and  so  thought  that 
she,  like  himself,  had  only  one  leg! 

"That  would  be  just  the  wife  for  me," 
thought  the  Tin  Soldier,  "if  only  she  were 
not  too  grand ! 

"She  lives  in  a  castle  and  I  have  only 
a  box,  and  there  are  five-and-twenty  of  us 
in  that.  It  would  be  no  place  for  her ! 
Still,  I  must  try  to  make  friends  with 
her." 

So  he  hid  himself  safely  behind  a  snuff- 
box, where  he  could  watch  the  dainty 
Little  Dancer  who  stood  on  one  leg  with- 
out losing  her  balance. 

126 


THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 

II.    THE  GOBLIN  THREATENS  THE  TIN  SOLDIER 

Late  in  the  evening  all  the  other  soldiers 
were  put  in  their  box  and  the  people  of  the 
house  went  to  bed. 

Then  the  toys  began  to  play.  They 
made  visits,  fought  battles,  and  gave  par- 
ties. The  tin  soldiers  wanted  to  join  the 
games;  they  rattled  and  rattled  in  their 
box,  but  could  not  get  the  lid  off.  The 
nutcracker  turned  handsprings,  and  the  pen- 
cil drew  figures  on  the  slate.  There  was 
so  much  noise  that  the  Canary  woke  up 
and  began  to  talk  poetry. 

Only  the  Tin  Soldier  and  the  Little 
Dancer  did  not  move  from  their  places. 
She  stood  straight  up  on  the  point  of  one 
toe,  and  held  up  her  arms;  and  he  was 
just  as  steady  as  ever  upon  his  one  leg. 
He  never  turned  his  eyes  away  from  the 
little  lady. 

Twelve  o'clock  struck  and --pop!  up 
flew  the  lid  of  the  snuffbox!  There  was 

127 


FIR 


no  snuff  in  it  at  all!  There  was  only  a 
little  black  goblin,  a  sort  of  a  Jack-in-the- 
Box. 

"Tin  Soldier!"  said  the  Goblin,  "don't 
stare  at  things  that  don't  concern  you!" 

But  the  Tin  Soldier  gave  no  sign  of 
hearing  him. 

"Just  you  wait,  then,  till  to-morrow!" 
said  the  Goblin. 

128 


Seat  IVork: 

1.  Draw  a  picture  of  the  Little  Dancer. 

2.  What    kind    of    clothes    did    the    tin 
soldiers  wear? 

3.  What  did  the  toys  do  after  the  people 
went  to  bed? 

4.  Tell  what  the  Canary  did. 

5.  What  happened  after  the  clock  struck 
twelve? 

6.  Copy  and  mark  the  sounds  you  know: 

Goblin  nutcracker         pencil 

musket  lady  handsprings 

snuffbox  o'clock  five-and-twenty 

THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 
III.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  STARTS  ON  A  JOURNEY 

And  in  the  morning,  when  the  children 
got  up,  one  of  them  put  the  Tin  Soldier  on 
the  window  sill.  Now  whether  it  was  the 
Goblin  or  the  wind  that  did  it  we  don't 
know;  but  true  it  is  that  all  at  once  the 
window  flew  open  and  the  Tin  Soldier  fell, 
headforemost,  all  the  way  down  from  the 

9  129 


third  story  to  the  street  below.  It  was  a 
terrible  fall!  The  Tin  Soldier  turned  over 
and  over  in  the  air,  and  when  at  last  he 
landed,  his  bayonet  stuck  between  the  pav- 
ing stones  and  his  one  leg  was  straight  up 
in  the  air! 

The  maidservant  and  the  little  boy  ran 
down  at  once  to  look  for  the  Tin  Soldier. 
But,  although  they  almost  trod  upon  him, 
they  could  not  see  him  anywhere. 

If  the  Tin  Soldier  had  once  called  out 
"Here  I  am!"  they  would  have  found  him. 
But  the  Tin  Soldier,  being  in  uniform,  did 
not  think  it  proper  to  shout  for  help. 

Suddenly  it  began  to  rain.  Each  drop 
fell  faster  than  the  last,  and  soon  the  water 
poured  down  in  a  stream.  When  the  rain 
was  over  at  last,  two  street  boys  came 
along. 

"Just  look!"  cried  one.  "There's  a  Tin 
Soldier!  He  shall  go  for  a  sail!" 

So  they  made  a  boat  out  of  a  newspaper 
and  put  the  Tin  Soldier  in  the  middle  of  it. 
He  sailed  away  down  the  gutter,  while  the  two 

130 


street  boys  ran  along,  clapping  their  hands. 
Goodness!  How  the  waves  did  roll  in 
that  gutter,  and  how  fast  the  stream  ran! 
The  paper  boat  rocked  up  and  down,  and 
up  and  down,  and  sometimes  whirled  around 
in  such  a  hurry  that  the  Tin  Soldier  trembled. 
But  he  stood  steady  and  never  moved  a 
muscle.  He  looked  straight  before  him  and 
held  tight  to  his  musket. 

131 


Phonic  Drill: 

tn  tn  trt  th 

that         they          other         with 
this          them      mother         within 
than        their        father         without 
th  means  the  hard  sound  of  th 


Seat 

1.  Make  four  drawings  of  the  Tin  Soldier 
and    write    a    sentence    under    each    telling 
where  he  is. 

2.  From  a  piece  of  brown  paper  cut  the 
toys  that  were  on  the  table. 

THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 

IV.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  IN  A  SHIPWRECK 

All  at  once  the  boat  shot  into  a  long 
drain  tunnel,  and  it  became  as  dark  as  it 
had  been  in  his  box  at  home. 

"Where  am  I  going  now?"  thought  the 
Tin  Soldier.  "Oh,  yes,  of  course  it's  the 
Goblin's  doing!  But  if  the  Little  Dancer 
only  sat  here  beside  me,  it  might  be  twice 
as  dark  for  all  I  should  care!" 

132 


At  this  moment  a  big  water  rat  who 
lived  in  the  tunnel  called  out  to  the  Tin 
Soldier,  "Have  you  a  pass?  Give  me  your 
passport !" 

But  the  Tin  Soldier  kept  still  and  clung 
all  the  tighter  to  his  musket. 

The  boat  rushed  on  and  on,  and  the 
rat  swam  after  it.  Whew!  how  he  gnashed 
his  teeth  and  shouted  to  the  bits  of  stick 

133 


and  stone:  "Stop  him!  Stop  him!  He 
hasn't  paid  toll!  He  hasn't  shown  his 
passport !" 

But  the  tide  became  stronger  and  stronger. 
The  Tin  Soldier  could  see  the  bright  day- 
light where  the  tunnel  ended.  Then  he  heard 
a  roaring  sound  that  well  might  have  fright- 
ened a  braver  man. 

Think!  Just  where  the  drain  ended,  the 
stream  ran  into  a  big  canal!  That  was  as 
dangerous  for  the  Tin  Soldier  as  going  over 
a  great  waterfall  would  be  to  us. 

But  he  was  so  near  the  end  that  he 
could  not  stop.  The  boat  dashed  over  the 
edge  of  the  drain  into  the  deep  canal. 

The  Tin  Soldier  held  himself  as  stiff  as 
he  could.  No  one  could  say  that  he  moved 
an  eyelid. 

The  boat  swirled  round,  and  round,  and 
round.  At  last  it  filled  up  to  the  brim 
with  water;  it  must  sink. 

The  Tin  Soldier  stood  up  to  his  neck  in 
water.  The  boat  sank  deeper  and  deeper. 
The  paper  kept  dropping  to  pieces.  At 

134 


last,  as  the  water  went  over  the  Tin  Soldier's 
head,  he  thought  of  the  pretty,  pretty  Little 
Dancer  whom  he  was  never  to  see  again. 
In  his  ears  rang  the  words  of  the  song, 

"Farewell,  farewell,  thou  warrior  brave, 
For  thou  shall  die  to-day/' 

At  last  the  paper  boat  gave  way  entirely 
and  the  Tin  Soldier  fell  through — but  just 
at  that  moment  he  was  snapped  up  by  a 
big  fish! 

THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 
V.  THE  TIN  SOLDIER  SEES  DAYLIGHT  ONCE  MORE 

Oh,  how  dark  it  was  inside  that  fish! 
It  was  even  darker  than  it  had  been  in  the 
tunnel.  It  was  very  narrow,  too.  But  the 
Tin  Soldier  was  as  sturdy  as  ever,  and  lay 
at  full  length,  shouldering  his  musket. 

Suddenly  the  fish  rushed  about  hither 
and  thither.  It  made  the  most  frantic 
movements  and  then  at  last  it  lay  perfectly 
still  for  a  long,  long  time.  Then  something 
flashed  through  the  darkness  like  lightning. 

135 


The  Tin  Soldier  was  once  more  in  broad 
daylight,  and  a  voice  cried  aloud: 

"The  Tin  Soldier !" 

The  fish  had  been  caught,  carried  to 
market,  sold,  and  brought  into  the  kitchen, 
where  the  cook  cut  it  open  with  a  knife. 

She  picked  up  the  soldier  around  the 
waist  with  her  finger  and  thumb  and  carried 
him  into  the  parlor,  where  every  one  wanted 

136 


to  see  the  famous  person  who  had  traveled 
about  inside  of  a  fish. 

But  the  Tin  Soldier  was  not  at  all 
proud.  They  set  him  up  on  the  table,  and 
there — no!  How  could  it  be?  The  Tin 
Soldier  found  himself  in  the  very  same 
room  that  he  had  been  in  before! 

He  saw  the  same  children.  The  same 
toys  stood  upon  the  table.  And  there  was 
the  same  cardboard  castle  with  the  Little 
Dancer  standing  in  the  open  door!  She 
was  still  standing  on  one  leg  with  the  other 
one  held  away  up  in  the  air. 

The  Tin  Soldier  was  so  touched  by  all 
this  that  he  could  hardly  keep  from  weep- 
ing tin  tears.  But  a  soldier  must  not  cry! 
He  looked  at  her  and  she  looked  at  him, 
and  neither  said  a  word! 


ask 

ance 

ast 

ass 

asked 

dance 

past 

pass 

asking 

Dancer 

last 

passport 

tasks 

dancing 

lasted 

passing 

basket 

chance 

faster 

passengers 

a  means  the  sound  of  a  as  in  ask. 
137 


THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER 

VI.  THE  CONSTANT  TIN  SOLDIER  FINDS  THE  LITTLE 
DANCER  CONSTANT  UNTO  DEATH 

Then  one  of  the  little  boys  took  the  Tin 
Soldier  and  without  rime  or  reason  flung 
him  into  the  fire.  No  doubt  the  Goblin  in 
the  snuffbox  was  to  blame  for  that! 

The  Tin  Soldier  stood  there  in  the  blazing 
light.  He  felt  a  heat  that  was  terrible;  but 
whether  it  came  from  the  fire  or  from  the 
love  in  his  heart,  he  did  not  know. 

All  the  colors  had  faded  out  of  his  uni- 
form; but  whether  that  had  been  caused  by 
the  dangers  he  had  been  through  or  by  his 
grief,  no  one  could  say. 

He  looked  at  the  Little  Dancer;  she 
looked  at  him.  He  felt  that  he  was  melt- 
ing; but  he  held  himself  straight  and  stiff 
and  shouldered  his  gun  bravely. 

Then,  suddenly,  the  door  blew  open,  the 
wind  caught  the  Little  Dancer,  and  she  flew 
straight  into  the   fire   to  the  Tin   Soldier- 
flashed  up  in  a  flame,  and  was  gone! 

138 


Then,  indeed,  the  Tin  Soldier  melted 
down  into  a  lump;  and  when  the  maid- 
servant took  out  the  ashes  next  day  she 
found  him  in  the  shape  of  a  little  tin  heart. 
And  of  the  Dancer  nothing  remained  but 
the  tinsel  rose,  and  that  was  burned  as 
black  as  a  coal. 

ALICE  CORBIN  HENDERSON 
in  ''Andersen's  Best  Fairy  Tales." 
139 


LITTLE  BOY  BLUE 

The  little  toy  dog  is  covered  with  dust, 

But  sturdy  and  stanch  he  stands; 
And  the  little  toy  soldier  is  red  with  rust, 

And  his  musket  molds  in  his  hands. 
Time  was  when  the  little  toy  dog  was  new, 

And  the  soldier  was  passing  fair; 
And    that    was    the    time    when    our    little 
Boy  Blue 

Kissed  them  and  put  them  there. 

140 


"Now,  don't  you  go  till  I  come/'  he  said, 

"And  don't  you  make  any  noise!" 
So,  toddling  off  to  his  trundle-bed, 

He  dreamt  of  the  pretty  toys; 
And,  as  he  was  dreaming,  an  angel  song 

Awakened  our  little  Boy  Blue— 
Oh!  the  years  are  many,  the  years  are  long, 

But  the  little  toy  friends  are  true! 

Aye,  faithful  to  little  Boy  Blue  they  stand, 

Each  in  the  same  old  place- 
Awaiting  the  touch  of  a  little  hand, 

The  smile  of  a  little  face. 
And  they  wonder,  as  waiting  the  long  years 
through 

In  the  dust  of  that  little  chair, 
What  has  become  of  our  little  Boy  Blue, 

Since  he  kissed  them  and  put  them  there. 

EUGENE  FIELD. 

Seat  IVork; 

Copy  words,  and  mark  a,  c,  and  g  sounds: 

flashed  stanch  angel  place 

become  grief  passing  danger 

Goblin  chair  covered          are 

141 


SOMEWHERE   TOWN 

Which  is  the  way  to  Somewhere  Town? 
Oh,  up  in  the  morning  early. 
Over  the  tiles  and  the  chimney  pots, 
That  is  the  way  quite  clearly. 

And  which  is  the  door  to  Somewhere  Town? 
Oh,  up  in  the  morning  early. 
The  round  red  sun  is  the  door  to  go  through, 
That  is  the  way  quite  clearly. 

KATE  GREENAWAY. 

orn  or  orn  orm 

born  for  corn         storm 

morn  nor  corner      stormy 

morning      north  acorn         storms 

horns         Northland    popcorn     uniform 

6  means  the  sound  of  o  as  in  or. 

Seat  IVork; 

1.  Copy  two  sentences  that  end  with  a  ? 

2.  Write  five  words  from  the  lesson  that 
contain  i;  then  mark  the  sounds. 

3.  Copy   and  memorize  the   first  stanza 
of  the  poem. 

142 


OLD  ABE,  THE  WAR  EAGLE 

Old  Abe  went  to  war  with  "the  Boys  in 
Blue."  He  was  a  brave,  strong  soldier  bird. 
Old  Abe  loved  the  smell  of  smoke  and  the 
roar  of  cannon.  He  was  never  so  happy 
as  when  bullets  were  flying  and  the  soldiers 
marching  to  war.  As  soon  as  the  firing 
began  he  would  jump  up  and  down  on  his 
perch,  and  flap  his  wings  and  scream. 

One  day  a  fierce  battle  was  being  fought. 
Blue  smoke  covered  everything;  guns  went 
bang!  bang!  bang!  and  cannons  pealed  forth 
like  thunder.  On  his  perch  sat  Old  Abe, 
watching,  and  calling  to  the  men,  when  a 
shot  whizzed  by  and  cut  the  cord  which 
held  him.  High,  high  above  his  regiment 
sailed  the  great  war  eagle.  With  wings 
wide  spread  and  piercing  eyes  fixed  upon 
the  soldier  boys,  he  screamed  again  and 
again.  Louder  than  the  fire  of  guns,  louder 
than  the  roar  of  cannon,  he  called  and 
seemed  to  say,  "Brave  boys!  Brave  boys! 
How  goes  the  battle?  Fire!  Fire!" 

When  the  battle  was  over  and  the  smoke 

143 


had  cleared  away,  Old  Abe  flew  back  to 
his  perch  and  was  ready  to  march  on  with 
"the  Boys  in  Blue."  Old  Abe's  perch  was 
carried  by  a  soldier  to  whom  he  looked  for 
food.  He  would  not  let  any  other  person 
carry  him  or  feed  him.  He  seemed  to  know 
that  sometimes  his  master  grew  tired  of 
carrying  him.  Then  he  would  spread  his 
wings  and  soar  to  a  great  height.  The  men 
of  all  regiments  cheered  him  as  he  disap- 
peared among  the  clouds. 

144 


Whenever  fresh  meat  was  scarce  he  would 
take  things  into  his  own  hands  and  go 
away  to  find  his  food.  Often  he  was  gone 
two  or  three  days;  but  he  always  returned 
with  a  young  lamb  or  chicken  in  his  talons. 
Even  though  he  flew  many  miles  away  he 
was  never  known  to  alight  in  any  but  his 
own  camp  or  among  any  but  the  men  of 
his  own  regiment.  Two  or  three  times  he 
was  struck  by  bullets,  but  his  feathers  were 
so  thick  that  he  was  not  hurt. 

After  the  war  everybody  wanted  to  see 
Old  Abe,  so  he  was  taken  to  the  Centen- 
nial, a  great  fair  held  in  Philadelphia  in 
1876.  And  it  was  there  that  thousands  of 
people  saw  the  famous  old  soldier  bird, 
bought  his  picture,  and  heard  all  about  his 
life  with  "the  Boys  in  Blue." 

Old  Abe's  early  home  was  a  nest  made 
of  sticks  and  hay  in  the  top  of  a  tall  tree. 
His  father  and  mother  were  large,  strong 
eagles.  Their  heads  and  tails  were  white  and 
their  bodies  dark  brown.  Old  Abe  looked 
exactly  like  them. 

10  145 


A  young  Indian  called  Sky  Chief  stole 
Abe  from  his  home  in  the  tree  and  sold  him 
to  a  farmer  for  a  bushel  of  corn.  The  farmer 
kept  him  for  some  time  and  then  sold  him 
to  a  man  who  gave  him  to  the  soldier  boys 
of  the  Eighth  Wisconsin  Regiment.  They 
named  him  "Old  Abe/'  after  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. The  soldier  that  carried  him  through 
the  war  had  charge  of  him  as  long  as  he  lived. 

A    True  Story. 

Phonic  drill  on  u  as  in  urn: 

fur          burn          curls  turkey 

furry       burning     curled         bursting 

Seat  IVork; 

Write  the  answers  to  these  questions: 

1.  How  did  the  Indian  boy  get  Old  Abe? 

2.  Where  did  Old  Abe  go? 

3.  What  did  he  do  when  a  shot  cut  his  cord? 

4.  With  what  regiment  did  he  go  to  war? 

5.  What  would  he  do  when  he  was  hungry? 

6.  What  are  the  claws  of  an  eagle  called? 

7.  To  what  great  fair  was  Old  Abe  taken? 

146 


THE  EAGLE 

He  clasps  the  crag  with  hooked  hands; 
Close  to  the  sun  in  lonely  lands, 
Ring'd  with  the  azure  world,  he  stands. 
The  wrinkled  sea  beneath  him  crawls; 
He  watches  from  his  mountain  walls, 
And  like  a  thunderbolt  he  falls. 

ALFRED,  LORD  TENNYSON. 

Seat  Work; 

1.  Memorize  the  poem. 

2.  Copy,  and  mark  the  vowels  you  know: 

azure  hooked  lonely       like 

wrinkled        thunderbolt        eagle         clasps 

THE  FLAG  GOES  BY 

Hats  off! 

Along  the  street  there  comes 

A  blare  of  bugles,  a  ruffle  of  drums, 

A  flash  of  color  beneath  the  sky: 

Hats  off! 

The  flag  is  passing  by. 

HENRY  HOLCOMB  BENNETT. 
147 


NOVEMBER 

The  leaves  are  fading  and  falling, 
The  winds  are  rough  and  wild, 

The  birds  have  ceased  their  calling, 
But  let  me  tell  you,  my  child, 

Though  day  by  day,  as  it  closes, 
Doth  darker  and  colder  grow, 

The  roots  of  the  bright  red  roses 
Will  keep  alive  in  the  snow. 

And  when  the  winter  is  over, 
The  boughs  will  get  new  leaves, 

148 


The  quail  come  back  to  the  clover, 
And  the  swallow  back  to  the  eaves. 

The  robin  will  wear  on  his  bosom 
A  vest  that  is  bright  and  new, 

And  the  loveliest  wayside  blossom 
Will  shine  with  the  sun  and  dew. 

The  leaves  to-day  are  whirling, 
The  brooks  are  all  dry  and  dumb, 

But  let  me  tell  you,  my  darling, 
The  spring  will  be  sure  to  come. 

There  must  be  rough,  cold  weather, 
And  winds  and  rains  so  wild; 

Not  all  good  things  together 
Come  to  us  here,  my  child. 

So,  when  some  dear  joy  loses 
Its  beauteous  summer  glow, 
Think  how  the  roots  of  the  roses 
Are  kept  alive  in  the  snow. 

ALICE  GARY. 
Exercise  for  Enunciation: 

See  the  fading,  falling,  whirling  leaves, 
The  wind  blows  the  roses  as  day  closes, 

149 


Phonic  Drill: 

1.  Copy,  and  mark  u  in  these  words: 
dumb      sure      beauteous      uniform 
bugles    ruffle     summer         trundle-bed 

2.  Copy,  and  mark  e  in  these  words: 
eaves         here         melting         together 

ceased         vest         regiment       each 

THE    HUSBAND   WHO   WAS   TO  MIND 
THE   HOUSE 

Once  on  a  time  there  was  a  man  so 
surly  and  cross,  he  never  thought  his  wife  did 
anything  right  in  the  house.  So,  one  evening 
in  hay-making  time,  he  came  home  scolding, 
and  showing  his  teeth,  and  making  a  dust. 

"Dear  love,  don't  be  so  angry;  there's  a 
good  man/'  said  his  goody;  "to-morrow  let's 
change  our  work.  I'll  go  out  with  the 
mowers  and  mow,  and  you  shall  mind  the 
house  at  home." 

Yes,  the  husband  thought  that  would  do 
very  well.  He  was  quite  willing,  he  said. 

So,   early  next  morning,  his  goody   took 

150 


a  scythe  over  her  neck,  and  went  out  into  the 
hay-field  with  the  mowers,  and  began  to 
mow;  but  the  man  was  to  mind  the  house, 
and  do  the  work  at  home. 

First  of  all,  he  wanted  to  churn  the' 
butter;  but  when  he  had  churned  awhile, 
he  got  thirsty,  and  went  down  to  the  cellar 
to  tap  a  barrel  of  cider.  So,  just  when  he 
had  knocked  in  the  bung,  and  was  putting 
the  tap  into  the  cask,  he  heard  overhead 
the  pig  come  into  the  kitchen.  Then  off  he 
ran  up  the  cellar  steps,  with  the  tap  in  his 
hand,  as  fast  as  he  could,  to  look  after  the 
pig,  lest  it  should  upset  the  churn;  but 
when  he  got  up,  and  saw  the  pig  had  already 
knocked  the  churn  over,  and  stood  there, 
rooting  and  grunting  amongst  the  cream 
which  was  running  all  over  the  floor,  he  got 
so  wild  with  rage  that  he  quite  forgot  the 
cider  barrel,  and  ran  at  the  pig  as  hard  as 
he  could.  He  caught  it,  too,  just  as  it  ran 
out  of  doors,  and  gave  it  such  a  kick  that 
piggy  lay  for  dead  on  the  spot.  Then  all 
at  once  he  remembered  he  had  the  tap  in  his 

151 


He  gave  it  such  a  kick  that  piggy  lay  for  dead  on  the  spot 

hand;  but  when  he  got  down  to  the  cellar, 
every  drop  of  cider  had  run  out  of  the  cask. 
Then  he  went  into  the  dairy  and  found 
enough  cream  left  to  fill  the  churn  again, 
and  so  he  began  to  churn,  for  butter  they 
must  have  at  dinner.  When  he  had  churned 

152 


a  bit,  he  remembered  that  their  milking 
cow  was  still  shut  up  in  the  byre,  and 
hadn't  had  a  bit  to  eat  or  a  drop  to  drink 
all  the  morning,  though  the  sun  was  high. 
Then  all  at  once  he  thought  'twas  too  far 
to  take  her  down  to  the  meadow,  so  he'd 
just  get  her  up  on  the  housetop -- for  the 
house,  you  must  know,  was  thatched  with 
sods,  and  a  fine  crop  of  grass  was  growing 
there.  Now  their  house  lay  close  up  against 
a  steep  down,  and  he  thought  if  he  laid  a 
plank  across  to  the  thatch  at  the  back  he'd 
easily  get  the  cow  up. 

But  he  couldn't  leave  the  churn,  for  his 
little  babe  was  crawling  about  on  the  floor, 
and  "if  I  leave  it,"  he  thought,  "the  child  is 
safe  to  upset  it."  So  he  took  the  churn  on 
his  back,  and  went  out  with  it;  but  then  he 
thought  he'd  better  first  water  the  cow  be- 
fore he  turned  her  out  on  the  thatch;  so  he 
took  up  a  bucket  to  draw  water  out  of  the 
well;  but,  as  he  stooped  down  at  the  well's 
brink,  all  the  cream  ran  out  of  the  churn 
over  his  shoulders,  and  so  down  into  the  well. 

153 


So  he  got  up  on  the  house  to  tie  her  up 

Now  it  was  near  dinner  time,  and  he 
hadn't  even  got  the  butter  yet;  so  he 
thought  he'd  best  boil  the  porridge,  and 
filled  the  pot  with  water,  and  hung  it  over 
the  fire.  When  he  had  done  that,  he  thought 
the  cow  might  perhaps  fall  off  the  thatch 

'•    154 


and  break  her  legs  or  her  neck.  So  he  got 
up  on  the  house  to  tie  her  up.  One  end  of 
the  rope  he  made  fast  to  the  cow's  neck,  the 
other  he  slipped  down  the  chimney  and  tied 
round  his  own  thigh;  and  he  had  to  make 
haste,  for  the  water  now  began  to  boil  in  the 
pot,  and  he  had  still  to  grind  the  oatmeal. 

So  he  began  to  grind  away;  but  while 
he  was  hard  at  it,  down  fell  the  cow  off 
the  housetop  after  all,  and  as  she  fell,  she 
dragged  the  man  up  the  chimney  by  the 
rope.  There  he  stuck  fast;  and  as  for  the 
cow,  she  hung  halfway  down  the  wall, 
swinging  between  heaven  and  earth,  for  she 
could  neither  get  down  nor  up. 

And  now  the  goody  had  waited  seven 
lengths  and  seven  breadths  for  her  husband 
to  come  and  call  them  home  to  dinner;  but 
never  a  call  they  had.  At  last  she  thought 
she'd  waited  long  enough,  and  went  home. 
But  when  she  got  there  and  saw  the  cow 
hanging  in  such  an  ugly  place,  she  ran  up 
and  cut  the  rope  in  ;two  with  her  scythe. 
But  as  she  did  this,  down  came  her  husband 

155 


out  of  the  chimney;  and  so  when  his  old 
dame  came  inside  the  kitchen,  there  she 
found  him  standing  on  his  head  in  the 
porridge  pot. 

GEORGE  WEBBE  DASENT. 


ur 

urn 

urn 

surly 

burn 

turn 

curls 

churn 

turned 

sturdy 

churned 

burning 

u  means  the  sound  of  u  as  in  urn. 

THE  TABLE  AND  THE  CHAIR 

I 

Said  the  Table  to  the  Chair, 
"You  can  hardly  be  aware 
How  I  suffer  from  the  heat 
And  from  chilblains  on  my  feet. 
If  we  took  a  little  walk, 
We  might  have  a  little  talk; 
Pray  let  us  take  the  air," 
Said  the  Table  to  the  Chair. 

156 


II 

Said  the  Chair  unto  the  Table, 
"Now,  you  know  we  are  not  able: 
How  foolishly  you  talk, 
When  you  know  we  cannot  walk!" 
Said  the  Table  with  a  sigh, 
"It  can  do  no  harm  to  try. 
I've  as  many  legs  as  you: 
Why  can't  we  walk  on  two?" 

Ill 

So  they  both  went  slowly  down, 
And  walked  about  the  town 
With  a  cheerful  bumpy  sound 
As  they  toddled  round  and  round; 
And  everybody  cried, 
As  they  hastened  to  their  side, 
"See!     The  Table  and  the  Chair 
Have  come  out  to  take  the  air!-' 

IV 

But  in  going  down  an  alley 
To  a  c'astle  in  a  valley, 
They  completely  lost  their  way, 
And  wandered  all  the  day; 

157 


Till,  to  see  them  safely  back, 
They  paid  a  Ducky-quack, 
And  a  Beetle  and  a  Mouse, 
Who  took  them  to  their  house. 

V 

Then  they  whispered  to  each  other, 
"O  delightful  little  brother, 
What  a  lovely  walk  we've  taken! 

158 


Let  us  dine  on  beans  and  bacon. " 
So  the  Ducky  and  the  leetle 
Browny-Mousy  and  the  Beetle 
Dined,  and  danced  upon  their  heads 
Till  they  toddled  to  their  beds. 

EDWARD  LEAR. 

Seat  IVork: 

Copy  these  words  and  mark  the   sounds 

you  know: 

harm  hard  grass          fast 

burned        danced       spark          foolishly 

THE  FOUR  CLEVER  BROTHERS 
PART  I 

"Dear  children,"  said  a  poor  man  to  his 
four  sons,  "I  have  nothing  to  give  you;  you 
must  go  out  into  the  world  and  try  your 
luck.  Begin  by  learning  some  trade,  and 
see  how  you  can  get  on/'  So  the  four 
brothers  took  their  walking  sticks  in  their 
hands,  and  their  little  bundles  on  their 
shoulders,  and,  after  bidding  their  father 
good-by,  all  went  out  at  the  gate  together. 

159 


When  they  had  got  on  some  way,  they 
came  to  four  crossways,  each  leading  to  a 
different  country.  Then  the  eldest  said, 
"Here  we  must  part;  but  this  day  four  years 
we  will  come  back  to  this  spot;  and  in  the 
meantime  each  must  try  what  he  can  do 
for  himself/'  So  each  brother  went  his  way; 
and  as  the  eldest  was  hastening  on,  a  man 
met  him,  and  asked  him  where  he  was  going 
and  what  he  wanted.  "  I  am  going  to  try  my 
luck  in  the  world,  and  should  like  to  begin  by 
learning  some  trade/'  answered  he.  "Then/' 
said  the  man,  "go  with  me,  and  I  will  teach 
you  how  to  become  the  cunningest  thief  that 
ever  was/'  "No,"  said  the  other,  "that  is 
not  an  honest  calling,  and  what  can  one  look 
to  earn  by  it  in  the  end  but  the  gallows?" 

"Oh!"  said  the  man,  "you  need  not  fear 
the  gallows,  for  I  will  teach  you  to  steal 
only  what  will  be  fair  game;  I  meddle  with 
nothing  but  what  no  one  else  can  get  or 
care  anything  about,  and  where  no  one  can 
find  me  out."  So  the  young  man  agreed 
to  follow  his  trade,  and  he  soon  showed 

160 


himself  so  clever  that  nothing  could  escape 

him   that   he  had  once  set  his  mind   upon. 

The  second  brother  also  met  a  man,  who, 

when   he    found   out   what    he    was   setting 

out  upon,  asked  him  what  trade  he   meant 

to  learn.     "I   do   not   know  yet,"   said  he. 

"Then  come  with  me,  and  be  a  star-gazer. 

11  161 


It  is  a  noble  trade,  for  nothing  can  be 
hidden  from  you  when  you  understand 
the  stars. " 

The  plan  pleased  him  much,  and  he 
soon  became  such  a  skillful  star-gazer  that 
when  he  had  served  out  his  time  and 
wanted  to  leave  his  master,  his  master 
gave  him  a  glass,  and  said,  "With  this  you 
can  see  all  that  is  passing  in  the  sky  and  on 
earth,  and  nothing  can  be  hidden  from  you." 

The  third  brother  met  a  huntsman,  who 
took  him  with  him,  and  taught  him  so  well 
all  that  belonged  to  hunting  that  he  be- 
came very  clever  in  that  trade;  and  when 
he  left  his  master,  his  master  gave  him  a 
bow,  and  said,  "Whatever  you  shoot  at 
with  this  bow  you  will  be  sure  to  hit/' 

The  youngest  brother  likewise  met  a 
man  who  asked  him  what  he  wished  to  do. 
"Would  not  you  like,"  he  said,  "to  be  a 
tailor?"  "Oh,  no!"  said  the  young  man; 
"sitting  cross-legged  from  morning  to  night, 
working  backwards  and  forwards  with  a 
needle  and  goose,  will  never  suit  me." 

162 


"Oh!"  answered  the  man,  "that  is  not  my 
sort  of  tailoring;  come  with  me,  and  you 
will  learn  quite  another  kind  of  trade  from 
that."  Not  knowing  what  better  to  do,  he 
entered  into  the  plan,  and  learned  the  trade 
from  the  beginning;  and  when  he  left  his 
master,  his  master  gave  him  a  needle,  and 
said,  "You  can  sew  anything  with  this,  be 
it  as  soft  as  an  egg,  or  as  hard  as  steel, 
and  the  joint  will  be  so  fine  that  no  seam 
will  be  seen." 

8ft  8st          8ss  8ng 

often  lost        boss  long 

soft  cost       cross  longest 

softly  frosting  crossways          song 

softest  Jack  Frost       cross-legged    stronger 

8  means  the  sound  of  o  as  in  off. 

THE  FOUR  CLEVER  BROTHERS 

PART  II 

After  the  space  of  four  years,  at  the 
time  agreed  upon,  the  four  brothers  met  at 
the  four  crossroads,  and  having  welcomed 

163 


each  other,  set  off  to  their  father's  home, 
where  they  told  him  all  that  had  happened  to 
them,  and  how  each  had  learned  some  trade. 
Then  one  day,  as  they  were  sitting  be- 
fore the  house  under  a  very  high  tree,  the 
father  said,  "I  should  like  to  try  what  each 
of  you  can  do  in  his  trade/'  So  he  looked 
up,  and  said  to  the  second  son,  "At  the 
top  of  this  tree  there  is  a  chaffinch's  nest; 
tell  me  how  many  eggs  there  are  in  it." 
The  star-gazer  took  his  glass,  looked  up, 
and  said,  "Five."  "Now,"  said  the  father 
to  the  eldest  son,  "take  away  the  eggs 
without  the  bird  that  is  sitting  upon  them 
and  hatching  them  knowing  anything  of 
what  you  are  doing/'  So  the  cunning  thief 
climbed  up  the  tree,  and  brought  away  to 
his  father  the  five  eggs  from  under  the  bird, 
who  never  saw  or  felt  what  he  was  doing, 
but  kept  sitting  on  at  her  ease.  Then  the 
father  took  the  eggs,  and  put  one  on  each  cor- 
ner of  the  table  and  the  fifth  in  the  middle, 
and  said  to  the  huntsman,  "Cut  all  the 
eggs  in  two  pieces  at  one  shot."  The  hunts- 

164 


man  took  up  his  bow,  and  at  one  shot 
struck  all  the  five  eggs  as  his  father  wished. 

"Now  comes  your  turn/'  said  the  father 
to  the  young  tailor;  "sew  the  eggs  and  the 
young  birds  in  them  together  again,  so 
neatly  that  the  shot  shall  have  done  them 
no  harm."  Then  the  tailor  took  his  needle 
and  sewed  the  eggs  as  he  was  told;  and 
when  he  had  done,  the  thief  was  sent  to 
take  them  back  to  the  nest,  and  put  them 
under  the  bird,  without  her  knowing  it. 
Then  she  went  on  sitting,  and  hatched 
them;  and  in  a  few  days  they  crawled  out, 
and  had  only  a  little  red  streak  across 
their  necks  where  the  tailor  had  sewed 
them  together. 

"Well  done,  sons!"  said  the  old  man. 
"You  have  made  good  use  of  your  time, 
and  learned  something  worth  the  knowing; 
but  I  am  sure  I  do  not  know  which  ought 
to  have  the  prize.  Oh,  that  the  time  might 
soon  come  for  you  to  turn  your  skill  to 
some  account!" 

Not   long   after   this   there   was  a  great 

165 


bustle  in  the  country,  for  the  king's  only 
daughter  had  been  carried  off  by  a  mighty 
dragon ;  and  the  king  mourned  over  his  loss 
day  and  night,  and  made  it  known  that 
whoever  brought  her  back  to  him  should 
have  her  for  a  wife.  Then  the  four  brothers 
said  to  each  other,  "Here  is  a  chance  for  us; 
let  us  try  what  we  can  do."  And  they 
agreed  to  see  if  they  could  not  set  the  prin- 
cess free.  "I  will  find  out  where  she  is, 
however,"  said  the  star-gazer  as  he  looked 
through  his  glass,  and  soon  cried  out,  "I 
see  her  afar  off,  sitting  upon  a  rock  in  the 
sea,  and  I  can  spy  the  dragon  close  by, 
guarding  her."  Then  he  went  to  the  king, 
and  asked  for  a  ship  for  himself  and  his 
brothers,  and  went  with  them  upon  the  sea 
till  they  came  to  the  right  place. 

There  they  found  the  princess  sitting,  as 
the  star-gazer  had  said,  on  the  rock,  and 
the  dragon  was  lying  asleep  with  his  head 
upon  her  lap.  "I  dare  not  shoot  at  him," 
said  the  huntsman,  "for  I  should  kill  the 
beautiful  young  lady  also."  "Then  I  will 

166 


try  my  skill/'  said  the  thief;  and  he  went 
and  stole  her  away  from  under  the  dragon 
so  quickly  and  gently  that  the  beast  did 
not  know  it,  and  went  on  snoring. 

Then  away  they  hastened  with  her,  full 
of  joy,  in  their  boat  toward  the  ship;  but 
soon  came  the  dragon  roaring  behind  them 

167 


through  the  air,  for  he  awoke  and  missed 
the  princess;  but  when  he  got  over  the 
boat,  and  wanted  to  pounce  upon  them 
and  carry  off  the  princess,  the  huntsman 
took  up  his  bow,  and  shot  him  straight  in 
the  heart,  so  that  he  fell  down  dead. 

They  were  still  not  safe;  for  he  was  such 
a  great  beast  that  in  his  fall  he  overset 
the  boat,  and  they  had  to  swim  in  the 
open  sea  upon  a  few  planks.  So  the  tailor 
took  his  needle,  and  with  a  few  large 
stitches  put  some  of  the  planks  together, 
and  sat  down  upon  them,  and  sailed  about 
and  gathered  up  all  the  pieces  of  the  boat, 
and  tacked  them  together  so  quickly  that 
the  boat  was  soon  ready,  and  then  they 
reached  the  ship  and  got  home  safe. 

When  they  had  brought  home  the  prin- 
cess to  her  father,  there  was  great  rejoic- 
ing; and  he  said  to  the  four  brothers,  "One 
of  you  shall  marry  her,  but  you  must  settle 
amongst  yourselves  which  it  is  to  be." 
Then  there  arose  a  quarrel  between  them; 
and  the  star-gazer  said,  "If  I  had  not  found 

168 


the  princess  out,  all  your  skill  would  have 
been  of  no  use;  therefore,  she  ought  to  be 
mine/'  "Your  seeing  her  would  have  been 
of  no  use/'  said  the  thief,  "if  I  had  not 
taken  her  away  from  the  dragon;  therefore, 
she  ought  to  be  mine/'  "No,  she  is  mine/' 
said  the  huntsman;  "for  if  I  had  not  killed 
the  dragon,  he  would  after  all  have  torn 
you  and  the  princess  into  pieces."  "And  if 
I  had  not  sewed  the  boat  together  again," 
said  the  tailor,  "you  would  all  have  been 
drowned;  therefore,  she  is  mine." 

Then  the  king  put  in  a  word,  and  said, 
"Each  of  you  is  right;  and  as  all  cannot 
have  the  princess,  the  best  way  is  for  none 
of  you  to  have  her;  and  to  make  up  for 
the  loss,  I  will  give  each,  as  a  reward  for 
his  skill,  half  a  kingdom/'  So  the  brothers 
agreed  that  would  be  much  better  than 
quarreling;  and  the  king  then  gave  each 
half  a  kingdom,  as  he  had  promised;  and 
they  lived  very  happily  the  rest  of  their 
days,  and  took  good  care  of  their  father. 

THE  BROTHERS  GRIMM. 
169 


Phonic  Review; 

Copy    the   sentences;    then    mark   all   a 
sounds: 

1.  By  chance,   the  happy  Little    Dancer 
met  the  huntsman's  father  halfway  up  the 
lane. 

2.  The  passing  star-gazer  carried  his  glass 
with  care  in  a  bag  on  his  arm. 

Write  sentences  using  these  words;  then 
mark  the  sounds  you   know : 

harm  basket  garden 

princess        Prancer          dragon 

Seat  IVork; 

1.  Draw  a  picture  of  the  four   brothers 
as  they  started  out  to  learn  a  trade. 

2.  What  trades  did  the  brothers  learn? 

3.  Where  did  they  meet  after  four  years? 

4.  How    did    their   father   find   out   how 
they   had  succeeded  with  their  trades? 

5.  How  did  they  save  the  princess? 

6.  What  did   the   king  give   them    as   a 
reward? 

170 


HIGH  AND  LOW 

A  Boot  and  a  Shoe  and  a  Slipper 
Lived  once  in  the  Cobbler's  row; 
But  the  Boot  and  the  Shoe 
Would  have  nothing  to  do 
With  the  Slipper,  because  she  was  low. 

But  the  king  and  the  queen  and  their 

daughter 

On  the  Cobbler  chanced  to  call ; 

And  as  neither  the  Boot 

Nor  the  Shoe  would  suit, 

The  Slipper  went  off  to  the  ball. 

JOHN  B.  TABB. 
171 


ROBIN   REDBREAST 

Good-by,  good-by  to  summer! 

For  summer's  nearly  done; 
The  garden  smiling  faintly, 

Cool  breezes  in  the  sun; 
Our  thrushes  now  are  silent, 

Our  swallows  flown  away,- 
But  Robin  's  here,  in  coat  of  brown, 

And  ruddy  breastknot  gay. 
Robin,  Robin  Redbreast, 

O  Robin  dear! 
Robin  sings  so  sweetly 

In  the  falling  of  the  year. 

Bright  yellow,  red,  and  orange, 

The  leaves  come  down  in  hosts; 
The  trees  are  Indian  princes, 

But  soon  they'll  turn  to  ghosts; 
The  scanty  pears  and  apples 

Hang  russet  on  the  bough; 
It's  autumn,  autumn,  autumn  late, 

'Twill  soon  be  winter  now. 
Robin,  Robin  Redbreast, 

O  Robin  dear! 

172 


And  welaway!  my  Robin, 
For  pinching  times  are  near. 

The  fireside  for  the  cricket, 

The  wheat  stack  for  the  mouse, 
When  trembling  night  winds  whistle 

And  moan  all  round  the  house. 
The  frosty  ways  like  iron, 

The  branches  plumed  with  snow,- 
Alas!  in  winter  dead  and  dark, 

Where  can  poor  Robin  go? 
Robin,  Robin  Redbreast, 

O  Robin  dear! 
And  a  crumb  of  bread  for  Robin, 

His  little  heart  to  cheer. 

WILLIAM  ALLINGHAM. 

Exercise  for  Expression; 

Read  "Good-by,  good-by  to  summer!" 
in  a  low  pitch. 

Read  "O  Robin  dear!"  in  a  low  pitch. 

Read  "The  leaves  come  down  in  hosts," 
in  a  high  pitch. 

Read  "The  scanty  pears  and  apples  hang 
russet  on  the  bough,"  in  a  questioning  tone. 

173 


TWO   BRASS   KETTLES 

In  a  little  town  not  far  from  Boston 
stood  an  old  brick  house.  It  did  not  look 
like  a  brick  house,  for  it  had  been  covered 
on  the  outside  with  boards. 

It  was  the  safest  house  in  the  village, 
and  during  King  Philip's  War  the  neighbors 
often  used  to  come  to  this  "fort-house,"  as 
it  was  called,  for  safety.  When  its  great 
oak  doors  were  bolted  and  its  strong  shut- 
ters fastened,  there  was  little  danger  from 
Indians.  They  could  not  burn  its  brick 
walls  as  they  did  so  many  log  cabins. 

But  no  Indians  had  been  seen  for  a  long 
time,  and  the  people  began  to  think  that 
danger  from  them  was  past. 

One  Sunday  morning,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Minot,  who  lived  in  the  old  house,  went  to 
meeting,  leaving  their  two  little  ones  with 
Experience,  the  maid. 

It  was  a  very  hot  summer  day  and  the 
windows  in  the  big  kitchen  were  wide  open. 
The  butterflies  flitted  to  and  fro  in  the 
bright  sunshine,  and  the  bees  hummed 

174 


drowsily  in  the  vines  twining  about  the 
window. 

The  two  little  children  sat  upon  the  floor 
while  Experience  built  a  fire  in  the  brick 
oven  and  began  to  prepare  dinner. 

When  this  was  finished,  she  drew  her 
chair  up  beside  the  open  window.  "  Now, 
little  one/'  she  said  to  the  baby,  as  she 
picked  her  up,  "  let  us  sit  here  in  the  breeze 
and  watch  for  mother  to  come." 

Experience  sang  softly  and  rocked  to 
and  fro,  hoping  the  baby  would  go  to  sleep. 
But  Baby  had  no  thought  of  going  to 
sleep.  She  laughed  and  crowed  and  tried 
to  catch  the  pretty  shadows  as  they  danced 
over  the  window  sill. 

Suddenly  Experience  saw  a  sight  which 
made  her  heart  stand  still.  Behind  a  row 
of  currant  bushes  was  an  Indian,  creeping 
on  his  hands  and  knees  toward  the  house. 

Only  a  moment  Experience  sat  still  and 
stared  at  the  savage,  then  she  quickly  bolted 
the  door  and  closed  the  windows.  There 
was  no  time  to  close  the  heavy  shutters. 

175 


What  should  she  do  with  the  children? 
She  looked  about  for  a  safe  hiding  place. 
On  the  floor,  bottom  upward,  stood  the  two 
great  brass  kettles  which  Experience  had 
scoured  the  day  before.  She  quickly  raised 
one  of  the  kettles  and  pushed  the  baby 
under  it;  then,  before  Baby's  little  brother 
could  think  what  had  happened,  down  came 
the  other  kettle  over  him. 

Then  Experience  rushed  to  the  oven  for 
a  shovel  of  hot  coals.  "If  that  Indian  comes 
in  here  I  '11  give  him  a  taste  of  these  hot 
coals/'  said  she.  But  suddenly  she  noticed 
that  the  Indian  carried  a  gun. 

"Oh!"  she  thought,  "he  can  shoot  much 
farther  than  I  can  possibly  throw  these 
coals."  So  she  dropped  the  shovel  upon 
the  hearth  and  fled  upstairs  for  the  gun. 
"Keep  still,  children,"  she  whispered,  as 
she  ran  past  them. 

But  the  children  did  not  keep  still. 
They  did  not  at  all  like  being  crowded 
under  the  kettles.  They  tried  to  push  them 
over,  but  the  kettles  were  too  heavy.  Then 

176 


they  began  to  yell,  partly  in  terror,  and 
partly  in  anger.  The  sound  made  the 
kettles  ring  with  a  strange,  wild  noise. 

When  the  Indian   appeared   at  the  win- 
dow, he  looked  about  the  room  and  could 
see  no  one,  yet  where   could   that   dreadful 
noise  come  from?    He  stared  at  the  kettles, 
12  177 


wondering  what  creatures  those  could  be 
that  howled  and  rumbled  so  frightfully. 

Just  then  the  children  began  to  creep 
toward  the  light,  moving  the  kettles,  which 
looked  like  two  great  turtles.  "Ugh!  Ugh! 
Me  shoot !':  grunted  the  mystified  Indian. 
Boom-oom-oom-m!  went  the  bullet,  glanc- 
ing from  kettle  to  kettle. 

The  babies  were  frightened,  but  not  at 
all  hurt,  so  they  howled  all  the  louder  and 
crept  faster  than  ever  toward  the  window. 

Now  it  was  the  Indian's  turn  to  be 
frightened.  "Ugh!  Gun  no  hurt  him!  Him 
come!"  Then  he  dropped  his  gun  and  fled. 
He  had  .no  wish  to  fight  with  two  great 
monsters  that  could  not  be  hurt  with  a  gun. 

Experience  saw  him  as  he  ran  away 
through  the  garden,  and  fired  at  him,  but 
he  was  soon  out  of  sight.  She  could  still 
hear  the  children  crying  under  the  brass 
kettles,  so  she  knew  they  were  not  hurt. 
Before  she  could  get  down  stairs,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Minot  came  home  from  meeting. 
There  lay  the  gun  before  the  window,  and 

178 


the    children    were    still    under    the    kettles, 
howling  madly  and  struggling  to  be  free. 

"What  is  the  matter?  What  has  hap- 
pened? "  the  parents  cried,  and  Experience 
told  the  story  of  the  Indian. 

"  Perhaps  he  is  still  hiding  somewhere  on 
the  farm,"  said  Mr.  Minot,  seizing  his  gun. 
He  hurried  across  the  garden,  looking  behind 
trees  and  bushes  for  the  Indian.  At  last  he 
found  him,  but  the  Indian  could  do  no  harm 
then.  His  body  lay  beside  the  brook,  for  the 
maid's  aim  had  been  more  true  than  she 
thought. 

MARGARET  B.  PUMPHREY  in  "Pilgrim  Stories." 

o  sometimes  says  u: 

love         doth  some  son 

cover      brother          something      done 
oven     another          come  once 

above         nothing   become  amongst 

OBEDIENCE 

If  you're  told  to  do  a  thing, 
And  mean  to  do  it  really, 

Never  let  it  be  by  halves; 
Do  it  fully,  freely! 

179 


Do  not  make  a  poor  excuse, 
Waiting,  weak,  unsteady; 

All  obedience  worth  the  name 
Must  be  prompt  and  ready. 

PHGEBE  GARY. 

THE  TREE 

The    Tree's    early    leaf-buds    were   bursting 

their  brown; 
" Shall  I  take  them  away?"  said  the  Frost, 

sweeping  down. 
"No,  leave  them  alone 
Till  the  blossoms  have  grown," 
Prayed  the   Tree,   while   he   trembled   from 
rootlet  to  crown. 

The    Tree   bore   his   blossoms,    and   all    the 

birds  sung; 
"Shall  I  take  them  away?"  said  the  Wind, 

as  he  swung. 
"No,  leave  them  alone 
Till  the  berries  have  grown," 
Said  the  Tree,   while   his   leaflets   quivering 
hung. 

180 


The  Tree  bore  his  fruit  in  the  midsummer 

glow; 
Said   the   girl,    "May    I    gather   thy   berries 

now?" 

"Yes,  all  thou  canst  see: 
Take  them;  all  are  for  thee," 
Said    the    Tree,    while    he    bent    down    his 
laden  boughs  low. 

BjORNSTJERNE    BjORNSON. 

THREE  MONKEYS  OF  JAPAN 
At  Nikko,  Japan,  over  the  door  of  a 
stable  that  houses  the  white  pony  of  the 
god  of  a  temple,  is  carved  a  triad  or  group 
of  three  monkeys  called  "the  blind  monkey," 
"the  deaf  monkey/'  and  "the  dumb  monkey. " 
Stone  images  of  these  monkeys  are  highly 
prized  by  the  country  people,  who  believe 
that  the  three  will  neither  see  evil,  hear 
evil,  nor  speak  evil. 

For  Memorizing; 

A  JAPANESE   MOTTO 

In  the  land  of  Japan,  far,  far  away, 
There's  a  quaint  little  motto  the  people  say: 

181 


No  Evil  see,  though  it  appear; 

No  Evil  hear,  though  it  be  near; 

No  Evil  speak,  no  Evil  do; 

See,  hear,  and  speak  what's  pure  and  true! 

u  sometimes  says  66 

true          blue  sure  juicy 

truly        bluebirds         surely         juniper 

Seat  Work; 

1.  Copy  the  motto. 

2.  Memorize  the  motto. 

THE  TONGUE-CUT  SPARROW 

In  a  little  old  house  in  a  little  old 
village  in  Japan  lived  a  little  old  man  and 
his  little  old  wife. 

One  morning  when  the  old  woman  slid 
open  the  screens  which  form  the  sides  of 
all  Japanese  houses,  she  saw,  on  the  door- 
step, a  poor  little  sparrow.  She  took  him 
up  gently  and  fed  him.  Then  she  held  him 
in  the  bright  morning  sunshine  until  the 
cold  dew  was  dried  from  his  wings.  After- 
ward she  let  him  go,  so  that  he  might  fly 

182 


home  to  his  nest,  but  he  stayed  to  thank 
her  with  his  songs. 

Each  morning,  when  the  pink  on  the 
mountain  tops  told  that  the  sun  was  near, 
the  sparrow  perched  on  the  roof  of  the 
house  and  sang  out  his  joy. 

The  old  man  and  woman  thanked  the 
sparrow  for  this,  for  they  liked  to  be  up 
early  and  at  work. 

But  near  them  there  lived  a  cross  old 
woman  wrho  did  not  like  to  be  awakened 
so  early.  At  last  she  became  so  angry  that 
she  caught  the  sparrow  and  cut  his  tongue. 
Then  the  poor  little  sparrow  flew  away  to 
his  home,  but  he  could  never  sing  again. 

When  the  kind  woman  knew  what  had 
happened  to  her  pet  she  was  very  sad. 
She  said  to  her  husband:  "Let  us  go  and 
find  our  poor  little  sparrow/'  So  they 
started  together,  and  asked  of  each  bird 
by  the.  wayside:  "Do  you  know  where  the 
Tongue-Cut  Sparrow  lives?  Do  you  know 
where  the  Tongue-Cut  Sparrow  went?" 

In  this  way  they  followed  till  they  came 

183 


" Do  you  know  where  the  Tongue-Cut  Sparrow  went?" 

to  a  bridge.     They  did  not  know  which  way 
to  turn,  and  at  first  saw  no  one  to  ask. 

At  last  they  saw  a  Bat  hanging  head 
downward,  taking  his  daytime  nap.  "Oh, 
Friend  Bat,  do  you  know  where  the  Tongue- 
Cut  Sparrow  went?"  they  asked. 

184 


"Yes.  Over  the  bridge  and  up  the  moun- 
tain/' said  the  Bat.  Then  he  blinked  his 
sleepy  eyes  and  was  fast  asleep  again. 

They  went  over  the  bridge  and  up  the 
mountain,  but  again  they  found  two  roads 
and  did  not  know  which  one  to  take.  A 
little  Field  Mouse  peeped  through  the  leaves 
and  grass,  so  they  asked  him:  "Do  you 
know  where  the  Tongue-Cut  Sparrow  went?" 

"Yes.  Down  the  mountain  and  through 
the  woods,"  said  the  Field  Mouse. 

Down  the  mountain  and  through  the 
woods  they  went,  and  at  last  came  to  the 
home  of  their  little  friend. 

When  he  saw  them  coming  the  poor 
little  Sparrow  was  happy  indeed.  He  and 
his  wife  and  children  all  came  and  bowed 
their  heads  to  the  ground  to  show  their 
respect.  Then  the  sparrow  rose  and  led  the 
old  man  and  the  old  woman  into  his  house, 
while  his  wife  and  children  hastened  to 
bring  them  boiled  rice,  fish,  cress,  and  sake. 

After  they  had  feasted,  the  Sparrow 
wished  to  please  them  still  more,  so  he 

185 


"/  should  like  to  give  you  one  of  these" 

danced  for  them  what  is  called  the  "sparrow 
dance." 

When  the  sun  began  to  sink,  the  old 
man  and  woman  started  for  home.  The 
Sparrow  brought  out  two  baskets.  "I  should 
like  to  give  you  one  of  these/'  he  said. 

186 


"Which  will  you  take?"  One  basket  was 
large  and  looked  very  full,  while  the  other 
one  seemed  very  small  and  light.  The  old 
people  thought  they  would  not  take  the 
large  basket,  for  that  might  have  all  the 
Sparrow's  treasure  in  it,  so  they  said:  "The 
way  is  long  and  we  are  very  old,  so  please 
let  us  take  the  smaller  one/' 

They  took  it  and  walked  home  over  the 
mountain  and  across  the  bridge,  happy  and 
contented. 

When  they  reached  their  own  home  they 
decided  to  open  the  basket  and  see  what 
the  Sparrow  had  given  them.  Within  the 
basket  they  found  many  rolls  of  silk  and 
piles  of  gold,  enough  to  make  them  rich,  so 
they  were  more  grateful  than  ever  to  the 
Sparrow. 

The  cross  old  woman  who  had  cut  the 
Sparrow's  tongue  was  peering  in  through 
the  screen  when  they  opened  their  basket. 
She  saw  the  rolls  of  silk  and  the  piles  of 
gold,  and  planned  how  she  might  get  some 
for  herself. 

187 


The  next  morning  she  went  to  the  kind 
woman  and  said:  "I  am  so  sorry  that  I  cut 
the  tongue  of  your  Sparrow.  Please  tell 
me  the  way  to  his  home  so  that  I  may  go 
to  him  and  tell  him  I  am  sorry/' 

The  kind  woman  told  her  the  way  and 
she  set  out.  She  went  across  the  bridge, 
over  the  mountain,  and  through  the  woods. 
At  last  she  came  to  the  home  of  the  little 
Sparrow. 

He  was  not  so  glad  to  see  this  old 
woman,  yet  he  was  kind  to  her  and  they 
did  everything  to  make  her  feel  welcome. 
They  made  a  feast  for  her,  and  when  she 
started  home  the  Sparrow  brought  out  two 
baskets  as  before.  Of  course  the  woman 
chose  the  large  basket,  for  she  thought 
that  would  have  even  more  wealth  than 
the  other  one. 

It  was  very  heavy,  and  caught  on  the 
trees  as  she  was  going  through  the  wood. 
She  could  hardly  pull  it  up  the  mountain 
with  her,  and  she  was  all  out  of  breath 
when  she  reached  the  top.  She  did  not  get 

188 


to  the  bridge  until  it  was  dark.  Then  she 
was  so  afraid  of  dropping  the  basket  into 
the  river  that  she  scarcely  dared  to  step. 

When  at  last  she  reached  home  she  was 
so  tired  that  she  was  half  dead,  but  she 
pulled  the  screens  close  shut,  so  that  no 
one  could  look  in,  and  opened  her  treasure. 

Treasure  indeed!  A  whole  swarm  of  hor- 
rible creatures  burst  from  the  basket  the  mo- 
ment she  opened  it.  They  stung  her  and  bit 
her,  they  pushed  her  and  pulled  her,  they 
scratched  her  and  laughed  at  her  screams. 

At  last  she  crawled  to  the  edge  of  the 
room  and  slid  aside  the  screen  to  get  away 
from  the  pests.  The  moment  the  door  was 
opened  they  swooped  down  upon  her,  picked 
her  up,  and  flew  away  with  her.  Since 
then  nothing  has  ever  been  heard  of  the 
old  woman. 
TERESA  PEIRCE  WILLISTON  in  "Japanese  Fairy  Tales." 

Phonic  drill  on  sounds  of  a: 
a  a  a  a  a 

Japanese    sacred    stared    glancing  started 
sparrow     grateful    dared    brass          carving 

189 


Make   a   list   of   words   from   the    lesson 
containing  the  five  sounds  of  a  just  studied. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Copy    a    sentence    that    ends    with    a 
period. 

2.  Draw  a  picture  of  a  Japanese  screen. 

3.  Write    a    short   story    about    a    little 
Japanese  boy  at  school. 

LITTLE  BLUE  PIGEON 

JAPANESE  LULLABY 

Sleep,  little  pigeon,   and  fold   your  wings- 
Little  blue  pigeon  with  velvet  eyes; 
Sleep  to  the  singing  of   mother-bird   swing- 
ing- 
Swinging    the  nest  where   the   little    one 
lies. 

Away  out  yonder  I  see  a  star- 
Silvery  star  with  a  tinkling  song; 

To  the  soft  dew  falling   I  hear  it  calling- 
Calling  and  tinkling  the  night  along. 

In  through  the  window  a  moonbeam  comes- 
Little  gold  moonbeam  with  misty  wings; 

190 


All  silently  creeping,  it  asks:  "Is  he  sleeping- 
Sleeping    and    dreaming    while    mother 
sings?" 

Up  from  the  sea  there  floats  the  sob 

Of  the  waves  that  are  breaking  upon  the 

shore, 
As  though  they  were  groaning  in  anguish,  and 

moaning- 

Bemoaning  the  ship  that  shall  come  no 
more. 

But  sleep,  little  pigeon,  and  fold  your  wings- 
Little  blue  pigeon  with  mournful  eyes; 

Am  I  not  singing? — see,  I  am  swinging- 
Swinging  the  nest  where  my  darling  lies. 

EUGENE  FIELD. 

Phonic  drill  on  o  like  u : 

Come,  some  other  one  has  won  the  love 
of  the  Tongue-Cut  Sparrow  and  the  baby 
monkey. 

Seat  IVork: 

1.  Copy  three  words  that  should  be  em- 
phasized by  lengthening  the  vowels. 

191 


2.  What  was  the  pigeon  to  do? 

3.  What  kind  of  a  moonbeam  was  it? 

4.  Who  wrote  this  poem? 

A  DOG  OF  FLANDERS 

I.  NELLO  AND  PATRASCHE 
Far  across  the  bright  blue  waters  lived 
Nello  and  his  dear  old  grandfather,  in  a 
quiet  little  village  of  Flanders.  Nello  was 
a  gentle,  golden-haired  little  boy,  with 
bright  red  cheeks  and  soft  dark  eyes. 

Their  home  was  only  a  little  mud  hut, 
with  beans  and  pumpkins  growing  around. 
But  Nello  was  young  and  the  grandfather 
loving,  and  kind  to  the  boy,  and  they  were 
very  happy  together. 

In  the  middle  of  the  village  ran  a  great 
canal,  shaded  on  each  side  by  tall  poplars  and 
bending  alders.  Day  after  day  little  Nello 
ran  along  on  the  edge  of  the  bank  in  the 
little  wooden  shoes  with  his  pink  legs  show- 
ing above.  Day  after  day  he  gazed  into  the 
water,  seeing  the  queer  little  houses  with 
their  bright  red  roofs,  white  walls,  and 

192 


pretty  green  blinds,  and  his  own  happy  face 
smiling  back  at  him. 

Now  Patrasche  was  a  dog — a  homely 
yellow  dog  of  Flanders.  His  head  was  large, 
his  legs  bowed,  his  ears  stood  up  like  a 
wolfs,  and  his  feet  were  broad  and  flat 
from  much  toil.  He  was  a  slave,  a  slave  to 
his  cruel  master,  who  piled  a  cart  quite  high 
with  pots  and  pans  and  images  of  brass  and 
tin,  and  walked  idly  by  while  he  let  Pa- 
trasche drag  it  over  the  stony  roads  and 
through  the  dusty  street. 

At  night  the  patient  Patrasche  was  repaid 
for  his  hard  work  by  blows  and  angry  words, 
and  driven  supperless  into  the  street  to  find  a 
bed  as  best  he  might. 

One  day  as  he  was  toiling  faithfully  along 
in  the  scorching  sun,  hungry  and  thirsty,  for 
he  had  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  for  many 
hours,  he  fell  in  the  dusty  road..  There  he 
lay,  scarcely  breathing;  for  he  was  sore  from 
blows,  blinded  by  dust,  and  sick  unto  death. 

His  master,  thinking  his  life  so  nearly 
gone  that  Patrasche  would  no  longer  be  of 

13  193 


use  to  him,  roughly  tore  the  harness  from  his 
body,  and,  kicking  the  dog  to  one  side  into 
the  ditch,  pushed  the  cart  lazily  along  up 
the  hill. 

What  cared  he?  Patrasche  was  only  a 
dog,  he  reasoned,  born  for  toil  and  the  cart, 
and  dogs  were  of  little  value  in  Flanders. 
Besides,  had  he  not  gotten  good  value  out 
of  Patrasche?  The  beast  had  cost  next  to 
nothing,  while  for  two  long,  weary  years  he 
had  toiled  without  ceasing;  toiled  early  and 
late,  in  cold  and  heat,  through  storm  Or  shine. 

It  was  a  day  for  merrymaking.  Hundreds 
of  people  in  quaint  Flemish  carts  or  wagons 
on  foot  or  riding  long-eared  mules,  were  hurry- 
ing joyously  past,  on  to  the  fair.  Few  saw 
Patrasche;  some  stopped  for  just  a  glance, 
but  not  one  stayed  to  help  him. 

By  and  by,  among  a  group  of  pleasure 
seekers,  ttjere  came  an  old  man.  He  was 
poorly  dressed  and  slowly  made  his  way 
over  the  sharp  stones  and  through  the  white 
dust.  Running  along  by  his  side,  now  here, 
now  there,  was  a  curly-haired  child. 

194 


Suddenly  they  saw  the  dog,  lying  motion- 
less amid  the  weeds  in  the  grass-grown 
ditch.  Turning  aside,  they  knelt  down  in 
the  grass  beside  him,  their  eyes  full  of  tender- 
est  pity.  And  thus  it  was  they  met — the 
happy  Nello  and  big,  yellow  Patrasche. 

So  it  came  to  pass,  as  night  fell  over  the 
little  town,  that  old  Jehan  Daas  drew  the  poor 
old  dog  to  his  own  little  mud  hut. 

195 


They  made  him  a  bed  in  one  corner  of  the 
hut  upon  a  pile  of  dry  grass  and  leaves,  and 
there  he  lay,  hearing  the  soft  prattle  of  the 
childish  voice  and  feeling  only  the  loving 
touch  of  the  old  man's  hand. 

As  the  days  passed  they  grew  to  love  him, 
and  oft  in  the  stillness  of  the  night  they 
listened  for  his  quiet  breathing  to  tell  them 
he  was  still  alive. 

At  last  one  day  he  rose  and  gave  a  long, 
low  bark.  The  old  man  wept  for  joy,  while 
Nello  danced  with  delight  to  see  the  dog  well 
and  strong  again,  and  ran  to  hang  a  chain  of 
daisies  around  his  neck. 

Now  all  the  time  Patrasche  had  been  sick 
and  useless  he  had  heard  no  harsh  words  and 
felt  no  cruel  blows.  In  his  deep  brown  eyes 
was  a  look  of  wonder,  and  in  his  heart  had 
grown  a  great  love  for  little  Nello  and  kind 
old  Jehan  Daas. 
Exercise  for  Expression: 

He  was  a  slave,  a  slave  to  his  cruel  master. 

Slowly,  so  slowly,  he  made  his  way  over  the 
sharp  stones. 

196 


A  look  of  wonder  was  in  his  deep  brown 
eyes. 

Phonic  drill  on  sounds  of  o : 

6668 
coral  homely  horns  soft 

poplars     Nello  porcupine      Boston 

Make  a  list  of  words  from  your  book  that 
contain  these  sounds  of  o. 

A  DOG  OF  FLANDERS 
II.   How  PATRASCHE  HELPED  NELLO 

The  old  man  and  the  little  child  were 
poor — very  poor  indeed.  It  was  seldom 
they  had  enough  to  eat,  often  nothing  at 
all,  but  Patrasche  was  always  welcome  to 
his  share. 

There  was  little  old  Jehan  Daas  could 
find  to  do  to  earn  even  their  simple  food. 
Each  day  he  drew  into  town  with  a  little 
old  cart  his  neighbors'  cans  of  fresh  milk, 
and  each  night  he  brought  them  back  the 
shining  yellow  coins  in  exchange.  But  it 
was  getting  too  hard  work  for  the  old  man, 

197 


for  the  city  was  more  than  a  mile  away,  the 
roads  were  rough,  and  the  loads  seemed  heavy. 

Patrasche  used  to  lie  in  a  sunny  corner 
and  watch  the  old  cart  with  its  load  of 
shining  brass  cans  come  and  go.  He  was 
only  a  dog,  to  be  sure,  but  he  was  very 
grateful. 

One  day  when  he  was  well,  he  lay  with 
a  thoughtful  look  in  his  brown  eyes,  watch- 
ing old  Jehan  get  ready  to  start.  And  it 
happened  next  morning  when  the  old  man 
had  loaded  the  cart,  Patrasche  walked 
quietly  over  and  placed  himself  between 
the  handles,  With  signs  and  pleading  looks 
he  showed  his  willingness  to  earn  his  bread 
and  homely  shelter.  But  old  Jehan  shook 
his  head  and  said,  "Nay,  nay,  my  dog! 
Stop  thou  at  home  and  rest.  God  never 
made  thee  to  toil/' 

But  Patrasche,  not  contented  with  this 
and  finding  they  would  not  harness  him, 
caught  hold  of  the  cart  with  his  strong 
teeth  and  tried  to  draw  it.  At  last  the 
old  man,  finding  it  was  of  no  use  to  refuse, 

198 


fastened  Patrasche  to  the  cart  so  he  could 
pull  it.  And  this  he  did  each  morning  of 
his  life. 

Jehan  was  very  thankful  to  the  kind 
fate  that  had  led  him,  on  that  fair  mid- 
summer day,  to  the  dying  dog.  When 
winter  came  again  and  the  roads  were 
rough,  he  could  scarcely  have  drawn  the 
heavy  load  through  the  deep  snow  had  it 
not  been  for  the  strength  of  Patrasche. 

As  for  the  dog,  he  was  well  and  con- 
tent. It  seemed  heaven  to  him,  after  the 
heavy  burden  his  old  master  had  made  him 
carry,  to  start  out  each  morning  by  the 
side  of  the  kind  old  man,  drawing  -the  little 
light  cart  and  its  load  of  shining  cans. 

His  work  was  over  very  early  in  the 
day  and  then  came  time  for  rest  or  play, 
to  run  through  the  fields  or  romp  with 
little  Nello.  By  and  by  the  child,  who  by 
this  time  was  six  years  old,  took  his  grand- 
father's place  beside  the  cart,  sold  milk, 
and  brought  the  money  to  the  neighbors. 
It  was  a  pretty  picture  these  two  made,- 

199 


the  old  green  cart  drawn  by  the  great  yel- 
low dog  with  his  harness  of  brass,  and  Nello 
in  his  wooden  shoes  running  beside. 

They  were  never  known  to  complain. 
Even  when  the  icicles  cut  the  willing  feet 
of  Patrasche,  and  the  cold  numbed  the 
boy's  little  bare  legs,  they  trudged  cheerily  on. 

200 


Sometimes  upon  the  streets  they  used 
to  meet  the  dogs  that  toiled  from  early 
dawn  till  set  of  sun  and  were  repaid  by 
blows  and  kicks  and  driven  supperless  to 
bed.  In  his  heart  Patrasche  was  very 
thankful  to  the  good  fortune  that  had  given 
him  easy  work  and  such  a  loving  little  face 
to  smile  down  upon  him. 

They  did  their  work  so  faithfully  together 
that  old  Jehan  had  no  need  to  go  again, 
but  could  stop  at  home  and  sit  in  the  door 
to  dream  and  doze  and  watch  for  them  to 
come.  And  on  their  return  Nello  would 
unfasten  the  rude  harness,  and  Patrasche 
shake  himself  until  he  was  free  from  the 
cart,  and  together  they  would  go  in  to  the 
scanty  meal  of  bread  and  milk. 

Then  sitting  at  the  old  man's  knee  they 
listened  to  his  simple  tales  or  watched  the 
shadows  lengthen  from  the  tall  church  spire 
and  night  fall  over  the  quaint  little  Flemish 

town. 

Retold  from  "A  Dog  of  Flanders"  by 
LOUISE  DE  LA  RAMEE. 

201 


"He  prayeth  well  who  loveth  well, 
Both  man  and  bird  and  beast" 

Exercise  for  Expression: 

If  a  string  is  in  a  knot, 

Patience  will  untie  it. 
Patience  can  do  many  things; 

Did  you  ever  try  it? 

If  'twas  sold  at  any  shop 
I  should  like  to  buy  it. 
But  you  and  I  must  find  our  own; 
No  other  can  supply  it. 

ANNA  M.  PRATT. 
ti  sometimes  says  sh: 

patient  attention  reflections 

patience          motionless         imagination 

THE   SOWER 

Sower,  you  surely  know 
That  the  harvest  will  never  grow 
Except  for  the  angels  of  Sun  and  Rain, 
Who   water   and   ripen  the  springing  grain. 

Child,  with  the  sower  sing! 
Love  is  in  everything! 

202 


The  secret  is  deeper  than  we  can  read! 
But  we  gather  the  grain  if  we  sow  the  seed. 

LUCY  LARCOM. 

Phonic  drill  on  sounds  of  e: 

e  e  e 

harvest  secret  sowrer 

except  really  never 

SIR  CLEGES  AND  THE  CHERRIES 

PART  I 

Listen,  and  you  shall  hear  of  a  brave 
man  of  the  olden  time. 

When  Uther,  the  father  of  the  great 
King  Arthur,  was  king,  there  lived  a  knight 
by  the  name  of  Sir  Cleges.  He  was  so 
gentle  and  open  of  hand  that  he  gave  freely 
to  all  the  poor,  and  he  did  no  man  harm. 

This  knight  had  a  gentle  wife,  the  best  of 
her  day.  She  was  ever  of  good  cheer  and 
merry. 

Every  year  at  Christmas  Sir  Cleges  would 
hold  a  great  feast.  Rich  and  poor  in  the 
country  round  came  to  this  feast.  There 
were  music  and  mirth,  and  rich  gifts  of 

203 


robes  and  jewels,  horses,  gold  and  silver,  for 
the  guests. 

But  at  the  last  his  goods  began  to  fail,  so 
that  he  had  little  wealth  left.  His  proud 
friends  and  servants  began  to  fall  away 
from  him  on  every  side.  None  would  dwell 
with  him  in  his  poverty. 

It  befell  that  one  Christmas  the  king 
made  a  great  feast.  Sir  Cleges  heard  the 
noise  of  the  king's  feast  and  his  heart  was 
cast  down.  For  he  was  forgotten  as  if  he 
had  been  dead.  He  was  too  poor  to  go  to 
court  and  he  had  no  gifts  to  send. 

As  he  stood  mourning,  his  good  wife 
came  to  him.  "My  lord/'  she  said,  "I 
pray  you  cease  to  mourn.  On  this  Christ- 
mas day  put  aside  your  sorrow.  Go  we  to 
our  meal  now,  and  make  merry  as  best  we 
may."  They  went  in  to  eat  of  such  victuals 
as  they  had,  and  made  merry  together. 

Then  Sir  Cleges  forgot  his  sorrow.  He 
went  into  his  garden,  and  there  gave  thanks 
for  the  content  that  had  come  into  his  heart. 

As    he    knelt    under    a    tree,    he    felt    a 

204 


bough  upon  his  head.  He  rose  up  and  laid 
his  hand  upon  the  bough,  and  behold,  a 
marvel  was  before  him.  Green  leaves  he 
found  upon  the  bough,  and  round  cherries 
(for  it  was  a  cherry  tree)  in  plenty. 

"Dear  God/'  said  he,   "what  manner  of 
berry  may  this  be  that  grows  at  this  time 

205 


of   the    year?     At   this   season    I    knew   not 
any  tree  bore  fruit. " 

He  tasted  the  fruit,  and  it  was  the  best 
that  ever  he  had  eaten.  He  cut  off  a  little 
bough  to  show  his  wife,  and  took  it  into 
the  house. 

"Lo,  wife/'  said  he,  "here  is  a  new  thing. 
On  a  cherry  tree  in  our  garden  I  found 
this  fruit.  This  is  a  great  marvel/' 

Then  said  his  wife  with  gladness,  "Let 
us  fill  a  basket,  and  to-morrow  you  shall 
go  to  the  king,  and  give  the  cherries  to  him 
for  a  present/' 

On  the  morrow7  when  it  was  light,  the 
wife  made  a  basket  ready.  Sir  Cleges  took 
a  staff,  for  he  had  no  horse  to  ride.  He 
set  out  on  foot  with  his  gift  for  the  king. 

In  time  he  came  to  the  castle.  Sir 
Cleges  thought  to  enter  at  the  great  gate. 
But  he  was  clad  in  poor  and  simple 
clothing,  and  the  porter  barred  the  way. 

"Churl,"  said  the  porter,  "withdraw,  or 
I  will  break  your  head.  Go  stand  with 
the  beggars/' 

206 


FIR- 


"Good  sir/'  said  Sir  Cleges,  "I  pray 
you  let  me  in.  I  have  a  gift  for  the  king. 
Behold  what  I  bring." 

The  porter  took  the  basket,  lifted  the  lid, 
and  beheld  the  cherries.  Well  he  knew 
that  for  such  a  gift  he  who  brought  it  would 
have  a  great  reward. 

207 


"You  come  not  into  this  place/'  he  said, 
"unless  you  promise  me  the  third  part  of 
whatsoever  the  king  gives  you,  whether  it 
be  silver  or  gold." 

Sir  Cleges  said,  "I  agree,"  and  the  porter 
gave  him  leave  to  enter. 

But  at  the  hall  door  stood  an  usher  with 
a  staff.  "Go  back,  churl,"  he  cried.  "I 
will  break  every  bone  in  your  body,  if  you 
press  farther." 

"Good  sir,"  said  the  patient  Sir  Cleges, 
"cease  your  angry  mood.  I  have  here  a 
present  for  the  king:  behold  whether  it  be 
true  or  false." 

The  usher  lifted  the  lid  of  the  basket, 
and  saw  the  cherries.  "You  come  not  in 
yet,  churl,"  he  answered,  "until  you 
grant  me  the  third  part  of  whatsoever  the 
king  gives  you  for  these  cherries." 

Sir  Cleges  saw  no  other  way,  and  granted 
what  the  usher  asked.  Then  with  sadder 
heart  he  took  the  basket  into  the  king's  hall, 
ou  sometimes  says  do: 

would  could  should 

208 


SIR  CLEGES  AND  THE  CHERRIES 
PART  II 

The  king's  steward  walked  to  and  fro 
in  the  hall  among  the  lords  and  knights. 
To  Sir  Cleges  he  came  and  said,  "Who 
made  you  so  bold  as  to  come  in  here?  Get 
hence,  with  your  rags,  and  that  quickly." 

"I  have  here  brought  a  present  for  the 
king/'  answered  Sir  Cleges. 

The  steward  took  the  basket  and  opened 
it.  "Never  saw  I  such  fruit  at  this  season 
of  the  year/'  he  cried,  "no,  not  since  I 
was  born.  You  shall  not  come  nigh  the 
king  unless  you  grant  me  the  third  part  of 
whatsoever  the  king  gives  you.  This  I  will 
have,  or  no  farther  do  you  go/' 

Sir  Cleges  saw  nothing  for  it  but  to 
agree.  "Whatsoever  the  king  grants  me, 
you  shall  have  a  third  part,  be  it  less  or 
more." 

Up  to  the  throne  Sir  Cleges  went,  and 
knelt  before  the  king.  He  uncovered  the 
basket  and  showed  the  cherries. 

14  209 


"This  is  a  fair  gift,"  said  the  king,  and 
he  bade  Sir  Cleges  sit  down  to  feast. 

When  the  feast  was  done,  the  king  bade 
a  squire  call  before  him  the  poor  man  that 
had  brought  the  cherries. 

"I  thank  you  heartily,"  said  the  king, 
"for  your  gift.  You  have  honored  my  feast 
and  my  guests,  young  and  old,  and  you  have 
honored  me  also.  Whatsoever  you  will  have, 
I  will  grant  you." 

"Noble  king,"  said  Sir  Cleges,  "since  I 
may  choose  for  myself,  I  pray  you  grant 
me  twelve  strokes,  to  deal  out  as  I  please, 
even  in  this  hall." 

Then  answered  the  king,  "I  repent  what 
I  have  granted  you.  It  were  better  that 
you  had  gold:  you  have  more  need  of  it." 

But  Sir  Cleges  asked  again  for  the  twelve 
strokes.  The  king  was  sad,  but  nevertheless 
he  granted  it. 

Sir  Cleges  took  his  staff  and  went  into 
the  hall.  He  found  the  proud  steward,  and 
gave  him  such  a  stroke  that  he  fell  down 
like  a  log  before  them  all.  Then  Sir  Cleges 

210 


gave   him   three   other   strokes,   so   that   he 
cried  out,  "Sir,  please  smite  me  no  more/' 

Out  of  the  hall  Sir  Cleges  went  to  the 
usher.  When  he  met  him  he  dealt  him  that 
which  he  would  remember  for  many  a  day. 
"Take  your  strokes,"  said  Sir  Cleges.  "You 
have  here  the  third  part  of  my  reward/' 

Then  he  went  to  the  porter  and  gave 
him  four  strokes  also.  "You  have  the  third 
part  of  my  reward/'  said  Sir  Cleges,  "accord- 
ing to  my  promise/' 

Then  Sir  Cleges  knelt  before  the  king 
and  thanked  him  for  his  reward.  But  the 
king  asked  him  why  he  had  paid  the  twelve 
strokes  to  the  three  servants. 

"Sire,  I  could  not  enter  your  presence 
until  I  had  granted  each  one  of  these  three 
the  third  part  of  whatsoever  you  granted 
me/' 

The  lords  both  old  and  young,  and  all 
that  were  with  the  king,  made  merry,  and 
the  king  could  scarce  withhold  his  laughter. 

The  king  sent  for  the  three  servants. 
"Have  you  had  your  reward?"  he  asked. 

211 


But  the  servants  only  looked  with  anger 
at  Sir  Cleges. 

Then  said  the  king  to  Sir  Cleges,  "What 
is  your  name,  good  man?  Tell  me  truly/' 

"I  am  Sir  Cleges,"  he  answered.  "I 
was  your  own  knight,  my  good  king/' 

"Are  you  Sir  Cleges  who  served  me,  and 
was  so  generous  and  free,  and  so  stout  in  the 
fight?" 

"Even  so,  my  good  king;  so  was  I,  until 
poverty  came  to  me." 

Then  the  king  gave  Sir  Cleges  all  that 
belonged  of  right  to  a  knight.  He  gave  him 
also  a  castle,  with  many  other  gifts,  that  he 
might  live  with  mirth  and  joy.  And  Sir 
Cleges  rode  home  to  his  wife,  and  told  her  all 
that  had  been  given  him;  and  they  lived  in 
happiness  to  the  end  of  their  days. 

Retold  from  UA  Wonder  Book  of  Old  Romance," 
by  F.  J.  H.  DARTON. 

i  sometimes  says    u: 

stirs  bird       birch  girl 

circus  third       mirth  whirl 

Sir  Cleges      squirm      birthday       twirl 

212 


Seat  JVork: 

1.  How   did   Sir   Cleges   come   to    be   so 
poor? 

2.  Do  you  think  the  porter,  the  usher,  and 
the  steward  got  what  they  deserved? 

3.  When  the  king  learned  who  Sir  Cleges 
was,  how  did  he  reward  him? 

BLUNDER 
PART  I 

Blunder  was  going  to  the  Wishing-Gate, 
to  wish  for  a  pair  of  Shetland  ponies,  and 
a  little  coach,  like  Tom  Thumb's. 

And  of  course  you  can  have  your  wish, 
if  you  once  get  there.  But  the  thing  is,  to 
find  it;  for  it  is  not,  as  you  imagine,  a 
great  gate,  with  a  tall  marble  pillar  on 
each  side,  and  a  sign  over  the  top,  like 
this,  WISHING-GATE, — but  just  an  old  stile, 
made  of  three  sticks. 

Put  up  two  fingers,  cross  them  on  the 
top  with  another  finger,  and  you  have  it 
exactly, — the  way  it  looks,  I  mean, — a 

213 


worm-eaten  stile,  in  a  meadow;  and  as 
there  are  plenty  of  old  stiles  in  meadows, 
how  are  you  to  know  which  is  the  one? 

Blunder's  fairy  godmother  knew,  but 
then  she  could  not  tell  him,  for  that  was 
not  according  to  fairy  rules  and  regulations. 
She  could  only  direct  him  to  follow  the 
road,  and  ask  the  way  of  the  first  owl  he 
met;  and  over  and  over  she  charged  him, 
for  Blunder  was  a  very,  very  careless  little 
boy,  and  seldom  found  anything:  "Be  sure 
you  don't  miss  him, — be  sure  you  don't 
pass  him  by." 

And  so  far  Blunder  had  come  on  very 
well,  for  the  road  was  straight;  but  at  the 
turn  it  forked.  Should  he  go  through  the 
wood,  or  turn  to  the  right? 

There  was  an  owl  nodding  in  a  tall  oak 
tree,  the  first  owl  Blunder  had  seen;  but 
he  was  a  little  afraid  to  wake  him  up,  for 
Blunder's  fairy  godmother  had  told  him 
that  this  was  a  great  philosopher,  who  sat 
up  all  night  to  study  the  habits  of  frogs 
and  mice,  and  knew  everything  but  what 

214 


went  on  in  the  daylight,  under  his  nose; 
and  he  could  think  of  nothing  better  to 
say  to  this  great  philosopher  than: 

"Good  Mr.  Owl,  will  you  please  show 
me  the  way  to  the  Wishing-Gate?" 

"Eh!  what's  that?"  cried  the  owl,  start- 
ing out  of  his  nap.  "Have  you  brought 
me  a  frog?" 

215 


"No,"  said  Blunder,  "I  did  not  know 
that  you  would  like  one.  Can  you  tell  me 
the  way  to  the  Wishing-Gate?" 

"Wishing-Gate!  Wishing-Gate !"  hooted 
the  owl,  very  angry.  " Winks  and  naps! 
How  dare  you  disturb  me  for  such  a  thing 
as  that?  Do  you  take  me  for  a  milestone! 
Follow  your  nose,  sir,  follow  your  nose!" 
and,  ruffling  up  his  feathers,  the  owl  was 
asleep  again  in  a  moment. 

But  how  could  Blunder  follow  his  nose? 
His  nose  would  turn  to  the  right,  or  take 
him  through  the  woods,  whichever  way  his 
legs  went,  "and  what  was  the  use  of  asking 
the  owl,"  thought  Blunder,  "if  this  was  all?" 
While  he  hesitated,  a  chipmunk  came  scurry- 
ing down  the  path,  and,  seeing  Blunder, 
stopped  short  with  a  little  squeak. 

"Good  Mrs.  Chipmunk,"  said  Blunder, 
"can  you  tell  me  the  way  to  the  Wishing- 
Gate?" 

"I  can't,  indeed,"  answered  the  chip- 
munk, politely.  "What  with  getting  in 
nuts,  and  the  care  of  a  young  family,  I 

216 


have  so  little  time  to  visit  anything!  But 
if  you  will  follow  the  brook,  you  will  find 
an  old  water  sprite  under  a  slanting  stone 
over  which  the  water  pours  all  day  with  a 
noise  like  wabble!  wabble!  who,  I  have  no 
doubt,  can  tell  you  all  about  it.  You  will 
know  him,  for  he  does  nothing  but  grumble 
about  the  good  old  times  when  a  brook 
would  have  dried  up  before  it  would  have 
turned  a  mill  wheel/' 

So  Blunder  went  on  up  the  brook,  and, 
seeing  nothing  of  the  water  sprite,  or  the 
slanting  stone,  was  just  saying  to  himself, 
"I  am  sure  I  don't  know  where  he  is, — I 
can't  find  it,"  when  he  spied  a  frog  sitting 
on  a  wet  stone. 

ew  sometimes  says  u: 

new        knew        steward         jewels 

BLUNDER 

PART  II 

"Mr.   Frog,"   asked   Blunder,    "can   you 
tell  me  the  way  to  the  Wishing-Gate?" 
"I  cannot,"  said  the  frog.     "I   am  very 

217 


sorry,  but  the  fact  is,  I  am  an  artist. 
Young  as  I  am,  my  voice  is  already 
remarked  at  our  concerts,  and  I  devote 
myself  so  entirely  to  my  profession  of 
music  that  I  have  no  time  to  acquire  gen- 
eral information.  But  in  a  pine  tree  beyond, 
you  will  find  an  old  crow,  who,  I  am  quite 
sure,  can  show  you  the  way,  as  he  is  a 
traveler,  and  a  bird  of  an  inquiring  turn 
of  mind." 

"I  don't  know  where  the  pine  is, — I  am 
sure  I  can  never  find  him,"  answered 
Blunder,  discontentedly;  but  still  he  went 
on  up  the  brook,  till,  hot  and  tired,  and 
out  of  patience  at  seeing  neither  crow  nor 
pine,  he  sat  down  under  a  great  tree  to 
rest.  There  he  heard  tiny  voices  squabbling. 

"Get  out!  Go  away,  I  tell  you!  It  has 
been  knock!  knock!  knock!  at  my  door  all 
day,  till  I  am  tired  out.  First  a  wasp,  and 
then  a  bee,  and  then  another  wasp,  and  then 
another  bee,  and  now  you.  Go  away!  I 
won't  let  another  one  in  to-day." 

"But  I  want  my  honey." 

218 


ft 


And  I  want  my  nap." 
"I  will  come  in." 
"You  shall  not." 
"You  are  a  miserly  old  elf." 
"And  you  are  a  brute  of  a  bee." 
And  looking  about  him,  Blunder  spied  a 
bee,  quarreling  with  a  morning-glory  elf,  who 
was  shutting  up  the  morning-glory  in  his  face. 

219 


"Elf,  do  you  know  which  is  the  way  to 
the  Wishing-Gate?"  asked  Blunder. 

"No,"  said  the  elf,  "I  don't. know  any- 
thing about  geography.  I  was  always  too 
delicate  to  study.  But  if  you  will  keep  on 
in  this  path,  you  will  meet  the  Dream-man, 
coming  down  from  fairyland,  with  his  bags 
of  dreams  on  his  shoulder;  and  if  anybody 
can  tell  you  about  the  Wishing-Gate,  he 


can.' 


"But  how  can  I  find  him?"  asked  Blun- 
der, more  and  more  impatient. 

"I  don't  know,  I  am  sure,"  answered 
the  elf,  "unless  you  should  look  for  him." 

So  there  was  no  help  for  it  but  to  go 
on ;  and  presently  Blunder  passed  the 
Dream-man,  asleep  under  a  witch-hazel, 
with  his  bags  of  good  and  bad  dreams 
laid  over  him  to  keep  him  from  fluttering 
away. 

But  Blunder  had  a  habit  of  not  using 
his  eyes;  for  at  home,  when  told  to  find 
anything,  he  always  said,  "I  don't  know 
where  it  is,"  or,  "I  can't  find  it,"  and  then 

220 


his  mother  or  his  sister  went  straight  and 
found  it  for  him.  So  he  passed  the  Dream- 
man  without  seeing  him,  and  went  on  till 
he  stumbled  on  Jack-o'-Lantern. 

"Can  you  show  me  the  way  to  the 
Wishing  Gate?"  said  Blunder. 

"Certainly,  with  pleasure,"  answered 
Jack,  and  catching  up  his  lantern,  set  out 
at  once. 

Blunder  followed  close,  but,  in  watching 
the  lantern,  he  forgot  to  look  to  his  feet, 
and  fell  into  a  hole  filled  with  black  mud. 

"I  say!  The  Wishing-Gate  is  not  down 
there,"  called  out  Jack-o'-Lantern,  whisking 
off  among  the  tree  tops. 

"But  I  can't  come  up  there,"  whim- 
pered Blunder. 

"That  is  not  my  fault,  then,"  answered 
Jack,  merrily,  dancing  out  of  sight. 

Oh,  a  very  angry  little  boy  was  Blun- 
der, when  he  clambered  out  of  the  hole. 
"I  don't  know  where  it  is,"  he  said,  cry- 
ing; "I  can't  find  it,  and  I'll  go  straight 
home." 

221 


Just  then  he  stepped  on  an  old,  moss- 
grown,  rotten  stump;  and  it  happening,  un- 
luckily, that  this  rotten  stump  was  a  wood 
goblin's  chimney,  Blunder  fell  through, 
headlong,  in  among  the  pots  and  pans  in 
which  the  goblin's  cook  was  cooking  the 
goblin's  supper. 

222 


BLUNDER 
PART  III 

The  old  goblin,  who  was  asleep  upstairs, 
started  up  in  a  fright  at  the  tremendous 
clash  and  clatter,  and  finding  that  his  house 
was  not  tumbling  about  his  ears,  as  he 
thought  at  first,  stumped  down  to  the 
kitchen  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  The 
cook  heard  him  coming,  and  looked  about 
her  in  a  fright  to  hide  Blunder. 

" Quick !"  cried  she.  "It  my  master 
catches  you,  he  will  have  you  in  a  pie. 
In  the  next  room  stands  a  pair  of  shoes. 
Jump  into  them,  and  they  will  take  you  up 
the  chimney/' 

Off  flew  Blunder,  burst  open  the  door, 
and  tore  frantically  about  the  room,  in  one 
corner  of  which  stood  the  shoes;  but  of 
course  he  could  not  see  them,  because  he 
was  not  in  the  habit  of  using  his  eyes.  "I 
can't  find  them!  Oh,  I  can't  find  them!" 
sobbed  poor  little  Blunder,  running  back  to 
the  cook. 

"Run  into  the  closet,"  said  the  cook. 

223 


Blunder  made  a  dash  at  the  window, 
but  —  "I  don't  know  where  it  is,"  he  called 
out. 

Clump!  Clump!  That  was  the  goblin, 
halfway  down  the  stairs. 

"  Goodness  gracious  mercy  me!"  ex- 
claimed cook.  "He  is  coming.  The  boy 
will  be  eaten,  in  spite  of  me.  Jump  into 
the  meal  chest/' 

"I  don't  see  it,"  squeaked  Blunder,  rush- 
ing toward  the  fireplace.  "Where  is  it?" 

Clump!  Clump!  That  was  the  goblin  at 
the  foot  of  the  stairs,  and  coming  toward 
the  kitchen  door. 

"There  is  an  invisible  cloak  hanging  on 
that  peg.  Get  into  that,"  cried  cook,  quite 
beside  herself. 

But  Blunder  could  no  more  see  the  cloak 
than  he  could  see  the  shoes,  the  closet,  and 
the  meal  chest;  and  no  doubt  the  goblin, 
whose  hand  was  on  the  latch,  would  have 
found  him  prancing  around  the  kitchen,  and 
crying  out,  "I  can't  find  it,"  but,  fortunately 
for  himself,  Blunder  caught  his  foot  in  the 

224 


invisible  cloak,  and  tumbled  down,  pulling 
the  cloak  over  him.  There  he  lay,  hardly 
daring  to  breathe. 

"What  was  all  that  noise  about? "  asked 
the  goblin,  gruffly,  coming  into  the  kitchen. 

"Only  my  pans,  master/'  answered  the 
cook;  and  as  he  could  see  nothing  amiss, 
the  old  goblin  went  grumbling  upstairs 
again,  while  the  shoes  took  Blunder  up  the 
chimney,  and  landed  him  in  a  meadow,  safe 
enough,  but  so  miserable!  He  was  cross, 
he  was  disappointed,  he  was  hungry. 

It  was  dark,  he  did  not  know  the  way 
home,  and,  seeing  an  old  stile,  he  climbed 
up  and  sat  down  on  the  top  of  it,  for  he  was 
too  tired  to  stir.  Just  then  came  along  the 
South  Wind,  with  his  pockets  crammed  full 
of  showers,  and,  as  he  happened  to  be  going 
Blunder's  way,  he  took  Blunder  home;  of 
which  the  boy  was  glad  enough,  only  he 
would  have  liked  it  better  if  the  Wind  had 
not  laughed  all  the  way.  For  what  would 
you  think,  if  you  were  walking  along  a 
road  with  a  fat  old  gentleman,  who  went 

15  225 


FIR 


chuckling  to  himself,  and  slapping  his  knees, 
and  poking  himself,  till  he  was  purple  in  the 
face,  when  he  would  burst  out  in  a  great 
windy  roar  of  laughter  every  other  minute? 

"What  are  you  laughing  at?"  asked 
Blunder,  at  last. 

"At  two  things  that  I  saw  in  my 
travels,"  answered  the  Wind;  "a  hen,  that 

226 


died  of  starvation,  sitting  on  an  empty 
peck  measure  that  stood  in  front  of  a 
bushel  of  grain;  and  a  little  boy  who  sat 
on  the  top  of  the  Wishing-Gate,  and  came 
home  because  he  could  not  find  it." 

"What?  What's  that?"  cried  Blunder; 
but  just  then  he  found  himself  at  home. 
There  sat  his  fairy  godmother  by  the  fire, 
her  mouse-skin  cloak  hung  up  on  a  peg,  and 
toeing  off  a  spider's-silk  stocking  an  eighth 
of  an  inch  long;  and  though  everybody  else 
cried,  "What  luck?"  and  "Where  is  the 
Wishing-Gate?"  she  sat  mum. 

"I  don't  know  where  it  is,"  answered 
Blunder.  "  I  could  n't  find  it" ;  --  and  there- 
on he  told  the  story  of  his  troubles. 

"Poor  boy!"  said  his  mother,  kissing 
him,  while  his  sister  ran  to  bring  him  some 
bread  and  milk. 

"Yes,  that  is  all  very  fine,"  cried  his 
godmother,  pulling  out  her  needles,  and 
rolling  up  her  ball  of  silk;  "but  now  hear 
my  story: 

"There  was  once  a  little  boy  who  must 

227 


needs  go  to  the  Wishing-Gate,  and  his  fairy 
godmother  showed  him  the  road  as  far  as 
the  turn,  and  told  him  to  ask  the  first  owl 
he  met  what  to  do  then. 

"But  this  little  boy  seldom  used  his 
eyes,  so  he  passed  the  first  owl,  and  waked 
up  the  wrong  owl;  so  he  passed  the  water 
sprite,  and  found  only  a  frog;  so  he  sat 
down  under  the  pine  tree,  and  never  saw 
the  crow;  so  he  passed  the  Dream-man,  and 
ran  after  Jack-o'-Lantern;  so  he  tumbled 
down  the  goblin's  chimney,  and  couldn't 
find  the  shoes  and  the  closet  and  the  chest 
and  the  cloak;  and  so  he  sat  on  the  top  of 
the  Wishing-Gate  till  the  South  Wind 
brought  him  home,  and  never  knew  it. 
Ugh!  Bah!"  And  away  went  the  fairy 
godmother  up  the  chimney,  in  such  deep 
disgust  that  she  did  not  even  stop  for  her 

mouse-skin  cloak. 

LOUISE  E.  CHOLLET. 

Phonic  drill  on  sounds  of  u : 

music  Blunder     churl     disturb 

regulations      chipmunk          curls        turned 

228 


JUNE  COMES 

I  am  the  happy  monarch 

Of  flowers  and  of  song, 
I  never  come  too  early, 

And  never  stay  too  long; 
I  tune  the  woodland  voices, 

And  deck  the  meadows  gay: 
And  sing,  while  earth  rejoices, 

"Away  to  the  woods,  away!" 

A.  H.  M, 


"Today  I  saw  the  dragon-fly 
Come  from  the  wells  where  he  did  lie. 

"An  inner  impulse  rent  the  veil 
Of  his  old  husk:  from  head  to  tail 
Came  out  clear  plates  of  sapphire  mail. 

"He  dried  his  wings:  like  gauze  they  grew: 
Through  crofts  and  pastures  wet  with  dew 
A  living  flash  of  light  he  flew." 

TENNYSON. 


229 


SUGGESTIONS  TO  TEACHERS 

The  natural  curiosity  and  imaginative  power  of  childhood, 
combined  with  the  inherent  spirit  of  investigation,  form  a 
broad  and  far-reaching  foundation  for  third-grade  reading. 
Wisely  utilized,  they  open  the  door  to  development  along  many 
lines,  and  by  their  aid  it  is  possible  to  incite  pupils  to  accomplish 
a  large  amount  of  reading  with  little  conscious  effort.  Children 
of  this  grade  readily  become  interested  in  myths,  stories  of 
primitive  life,  adventure,  and  characteristic  habits  and  expe- 
riences of  animals;  in  fact,  they  can  be  easily  guided  into  the 
fertile  field  of  literature  through  the  inspirational  touch  of  a 
teacher  who  knows  how  to  improve  the  opportunities  always 
available. 

It  is  a  simple  matter  to  lead  girls  and  boys  of  seven,  eight, 
or  nine  years  of  age  to  imagine  themselves  living  in  the  days 
of  long  ago;  to  see  and  feel  the  conditions  which  existed  in 
those  primitive  homes,  and  so  clearly  to  picture  the  approach 
of  the  Indians  that  they  understand  why  little  children  were 
afraid  and  were  hidden  under  brass  kettles.  With  eyes 
sparkling  with  the  joy  of  discovery,  they  enter  into  the  expe- 
riences of  the  Swiss  Family  Robinson,  and  their  sympathy  goes 
out  quite  as  readily  to  foolish  Chanticleer  when  he  responds 
to  the  flattery  of  the  fox,  as  to  the  poor,  hungry,  and  sick  dog 
of  Flanders.  They  love  dear  little  Nello  and  the  gentle  old 
grandfather  as  tenderly  as  if  they  really  knew  them.  They 
rejoice  with  Blackie  in  his  release  from  the  trap,  and  laugh 
merrily  at  the  foolish  quarrel  of  the  pig  and  the  hen. 

All  such  material  when  properly  presented  is  keenly 
appreciated  by  third-grade  children,  and  excellent  results  are 
certain  to  follow  the  interpretive,  awakening  touch  of  a  skillful 
teacher. 

GENERAL  PLAN  FOR  A  READING  LESSON 

In  order  that  the  work  may  be  logical  and  definite,  all 
lessons  should  follow  a  general  plan,  but  that  plan  should  be 
adapted  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  particular  lesson.  Twenty 
or  twenty-five  minutes  is  suggested  for  a  lesson,  and  the  phonic 

230 


work  may  be  done  at  the  beginning  or  the  end  of  the  period, 
as  the  teacher  prefers. 

1.  Phonic,  or  vocal  exercises,  enunciation  drills,  imagination 
work,  and  expression  exercises. 

2.  Word  preparation,   including  drill  upon  new  words, 
phrases,  and  expressions. 

3.  Directing  the  thought  to  prepare  for  the  reading  of  the 
lesson. 

4.  Reading  the  lesson. 

5.  Dramatization  or  oral  reproduction  of  the  story. 

6.  Seat  Work.    Make  the  work  as  far  as  possible  correspond 
with  the  thought  of  the  lesson. 

GENERAL  PLAN  APPLIED  TO  LESSONS 

The  Lamplighter,  p.  24: 

1.  Draw  a  picture  of  a  street  with  several  old-fashioned 
street  lamps  at  different  points.    Also  draw  a  number  of 
lanterns  and  on  the  lanterns  write  familiar  sounds  and  phono- 
grams.   Tell  the  children  to  light  the  lanterns  by  giving  the 
sounds;  to  say  the  short  vowels  as  you  point  to  a  street  lamp; 
to  say  long  oo  in  a  high  pitch;  to  blow  out  the  street  lamps  in 
short  explosive  puffs,  two  for  each  lamp.    Tell  John  and  Henry 
to  run  a  race  to  see  who  can  light  the  most  street  lamps  in  half 
a  minute.    John  is  to  begin  at  the  east  end  of  the  street  and 
Henry  at  the  west  end.     (They  light  the  lamps  by  giving  the 
sounds.) 

2.  Write  the  new  words  on  or  near  the  street  lamps  and 
have  them  sounded  and  pronounced  (call  it  climbing  the  ladder 
and  lighting  the  lamps).     Drill  upon  the  words  by  drawing  a 
ladder  (write  new  words  on  the  rounds)  and  seeing  who  can 
climb  it  without  falling  (pronounce  all  the  new  words).     Give 
the  children  tiny  paper  lanterns;  let  them  wave  them,  in  imag- 
ination light  them  and  then  hang  them  on  the  branches  of  trees, 
or  on  their  porches,  each  time  pronouncing  or  sounding  a  word. 

3.  Create  the  right  atmosphere  for  the  lesson  not  only  by 
continuing  the  work  already  begun,  but  by  telling  in  a  simple 
way  the  story  of  a  lamplighter  whom  all  the  children  liked  to 
watch  as  he  lighted  his  lamps. 

4.  Question  for  expression  and  have  the  poem  read. 

5.  Give  a  few  simple,  interesting  facts  about  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson,  and  mention  two  or  three  of  his  poems  already 
familiar  to  the  class.     Have  the  poem  reproduced  orally. 

231 


6.  Seat  Work.  Give  each  child  a  piece  of  colored  paper 
and  let  him  make  a  toy  lantern.  These  lanterns  can  be  used 
for  decoration,  and  add  interest  to  the  poem  because  they  were 
made  after  reading  the  lesson. 

The  Shepherd  Boy  and  the  Wolf,  p.  39: 

1.  Say  long  o  in  a  low  pitch  several  times.    Say  "Oh!  Oh! " 
as  if  you  were  afraid.     Imagine  you  are  afraid  of  a  wolf  and 
call  "Help!  Help!"     Inhale  and  count  five  in  a  deep,  full  tone. 
Read  these  sentences  slowly  and  distinctly:    "She  saw  six 
startled  sheep  scamper  swiftly."     "We  will  watch  wisely  while 
walking  where  wolves  wait." 

2.  Suggest  for  the  new  words  by  questioning  or  have  them 
made  out  through  the  application  of  phonics.    Write  them 
upon  the  blackboard  and  drill  upon  them,  and  upon  such 
expressions    as    "again  deceiving  them,"    "a  dark  forest," 
"a  lonely  place." 

3.  Describe  the  mountainous  country  in  which  sheep  are 
often  kept;  have  the  children  imagine  they  see  sheep  feeding 
in  the  valleys  and  the  shepherd  with  his  faithful  dog  watching 
them.    Show  pictures  of  shepherds  and  flocks  of  sheep  and 
tell  interesting  stories  about  them. 

4.  Question  for  the  thought  of  the  first  paragraph  and  have 
it  read.     Do  the  same  with  each  paragraph.    Here  is  the  place 
gradually  to  lead  pupils  to  see  and  feel  that  each  paragraph 
is  a  story  by  itself. 

5.  After  a  lesson  has  been  read  and  talked  about,  dramatize 
it  in  a  simple  way.    Assign  the  parts.    Call  the  blackboard 
the  dark  forest  and  the  desks  the  village.    While  acting,  the 
shepherd  boy  should  use  simple  expressions  suggested  by  the 
story,  as  well  as  quotations  from  it,  as  "This  is  a  very  lonely 
place.     I  think  I'll  play  a  joke  on  the  villagers.     I'll  deceive 
them  and  call  'Wolf !  Wolf!'    That  will  be  a  good  joke."    He 
should  then  run  across  the  front  of  the  room  and  call  "Wolf! 
Wolf!    Help!    Help!    The    wolves    are    killing    my    lambs! 
Help!  Help!"    Have  the  pupils  respond  by  running  to  the 
blackboard  two  or  three  times,  in  response  to  his  call;  but  the 
last  time,  let  those  who  are  sitting  in  their  seats  read  in  concert, 
after  the  acting  is  finished,  "A  liar  will  not  be  believed  even 
when  he  speaks  the  truth." 

In  dramatizing,  it  is  always  desirable  to  include  as  many 
of  the  children  as  possible,  and  the  same  part  should  be  acted 
by  different  children. 

232 


EXPRESSION  IN  READING 

The  importance  of  expressing  correctly  the  thought  of  the 
lesson  cannot  be  overestimated.  Pupils  should  always  be  led 
so  to  speak  as  to  indicate  fear,  joy,  sorrow,  sympathy,  or 
surprise,  as  the  case  may  be.  By  invariably  doing  this  during 
the  reading  hour,  pupils  soon  acquire  the  habit,  and  such  a 
habit  is  the  thing  most  desired  in  this  phase  of  his  reading. 
Therefore,  vocal  exercises,  enunciation  drills,  and  expression 
lessons  should  be  continued. 

As  in  the  lower  grades,  the  expression  should  be  natural  and 
indicative  of  feeling.  This  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  the 
selection  can  be  secured  only  through  inspiration,  imagination, 
description,  or  pictures.  To  tell  a  child  to  read  with  greater 
expression  when  he  has  already  done  his  best,  or  to  read  with 
more  feeling  when  none  has  been  aroused,  is  utterly  useless. 
To  secure  good  expression,  the  work  must  be  presented  with 
an  enthusiasm  capable  of  arousing  a  feeling  of  fear,  gentleness, 
or  sympathy,  as  the  selection  suggests.  It  will  then  be  easy 
for  the  pupils  to  read  well,  if  there  has  been  proper  voice 
training.  Col.  Francis  M.  Parker  once  said,  "If  a  reader  lack 
sympathy  with  his  selection,  no  matter  how  well  he  may  articu- 
late, how  correctly  emphasize,  how  perfectly  inflect,  his  reading 
will  be  as  'sounding  brass  and  tinkling  cymbals/  If  he  be 
possessed  by  it,  he  will  not  be  mechanical,  though  he  may  know 
and  apply  every  law  of  expression."  Good  reading  is  possible 
in  every  grade  and  with  all  classes  of  children  if  the  work  be 
happily  and  inspiringly  presented. 

In  the  third  year  children  should  understand  the  kinds  of 
expression  and  be  able  to  name  and  illustrate  them. 

1.  Tone  color  or  word  painting  is  saying  a  word  so  that  it 
expresses  the  idea,  as:  swift,  sudden,  tripping,  sparkling. 

Page  19* 

Oh,  where  are  you  going,  my  dear  little  bird? 

And  why  do  you  hurry  away? 
Not  a  leaf  on  the  pretty  red  maple  has  stirred, 

In  the  sweet  golden  sunshine  to-day. 
Page  56: 

Then  Blackie  heard  a  door  open,  and  a  pair  of  feet  came  dancing  down 
the  hall,  and  in  rushed  the  little  mistress  of  Madison  Square. 
Page  59: 

She  just  said:    "Blackie,  hush!    Your  imagination  is  something  terrible!" 
Now,  was  n't  she  a  queer  mother? 

Page  66: 

Good  morning,  sweet  April, 
So  winsome  and  shy. 

233 


Page  67: 

Have  you  plucked  the  apple  blossoms  in  the  spring? 

In  the  spring? 

And  caught  their  subtle  odors  in  the  spring? 
Pink  buds  bursting  at  the  light, 
Crumpled  petals  baby  white, 
Just  to  touch  them  a  delight! 

In  the  spring! 
Page  134: 

The  boat  swirled  round,  and  round,  and  round. 

2.  Lengthening  the  vowel,  as:  dreary,  long,  far,  ever  and 
ever. 

Page  24: 

An  elephant  to  a  circus  went, 

Poor  old  elephant! 
And  lived  his  life  beneath  a  tent, 

Poor  old  elephant! 
Dreaming  of  the  jungle  cool, 
Juicy  leaves  and  rippling  pool. 

Poor  old  elephant! 
Page  91: 

They  must  grow  to  be  wise,  manly  Pilgrim  fathers. 
Page  95: 

When  all  the  ground  with  snow  is  white. 
Page  96: 

My  Lady  Wind  is  very  toll, 
As  tall  as  she  can  be. 
Page  121: 

Down  the  long  highway  they're  winging. 
Page  135: 

Farewell,  farewell,  thou  warrior  brave, 
For  thou  shalt  die  to-day. 

3.  Force  upon  a  word,  as:  Halt!    Fire!    March! 

Page  110: 

Pull  in  the  gangplank,  boys! 
Page  113: 

Good  Turk!    Good  Fan! 

4.  Lengthening  the  vowel  and  tone  color. 

Page  16: 

So  Chanticleer  stood  on  his  tiptoes,  stretched  his  neck  just  as  long  as  he 
could,  shut  his  eyes,  and  said  "  Cock-a-</oo-dle  — 
Page  16: 

The  hens  cackled  and  cackled,  the  ducks  quacked  and  quacked,  and  the 
farmer's  dog  barked  and  barked  as  they  all  ran  after  the  fox. 
Page  148: 

The  leaves  are  jading  and  falling, 
The  winds  are  rough  and  wild. 

234 


Pages  190-191: 

Sleep,  little  pigeon,  and  fold  your  wings. 

Away  out  yonder  I  see  a  star. 

As  though  they  were  groaning  in  anguish,  and  moaning. 

QUESTIONING  FOR  EXPRESSION 

Questioning  for  expression  is  necessary  in  all  grades,  but  it 
becomes  less  and  less  necessary  as  children  become  more 
proficient  in  thought  getting  and  vocal  expression.  Questions 
should  be  logical,  clear,  and  definite.  They  should  call  for 
the  emphatic  word  or  phrase  for  an  answer,  and  not  the  entire 
sentence.  Each  question  should  be  based  upon  the  previous 
answer.  Questions  for  expression  should  be  answered  by  the 
word  or  words  of  the  book,  and  not  in  full  sentences. 

Creepy -Crawly,  p.  39: 

Talk  about  a  little  gray  mouse  and  why  it  was  named 
Creepy-Crawly. 

Questions  for  expression  and  answers: 

About  whom  are  we  to  read?  Creepy-Crawly.  What  was  Creepy- 
Crawly  to  do?  Be  careful.  When  was  Creepy-Crawly  to  be  careful? 
Always,  always  careful.  Read  the  line  and  be  sure  to  make  him  careful: 
"Be  careful,  Creepy-Crawly;  always,  always  careful."  What  can  cats  do? 
Run.  How  can  they  run?  Very  fast.  And  what  have  cats?  Claws. 
Read  and  make  me  know  that  cats  can  run  very  fast,  and  that  they  have  claws. 
"Cats  can  run  very  fast,  and  cats  have  claws."  Read  the  first  and  second 
lines.  What  kind  of  things  are  claws?  Dreadful,  dreadful,  dreadful  things. 
Read  the  three  lines  and  be  sure  to  tell  Creepy-Crawly  what  dreadful  things 
claws  are.  Have  the  three  lines  read  several  times.  What  are  you  to  do  if 
you  see  a  cat?  You  fly.  If  you  don't  fly,  what  will  happen?  You'll  surely 
die.  Read  all  that  has  been  read  and  remember  to  tell  Creepy-Crawly  what 
will  happen  if  he  does  n't  fly.  What  is  Creepy-Crawly  to  do  now?  Run  at 
once.  Or  what?  All  is  done.  Did  Creepy-Crawly  runr*  No.  What  would 
you  say  about  him?  Poor  little  Creepy-Crawly!  Drill  on  the  lesson  until 
it  is  very  familiar  to  all  and  read  with  excellent  expression. 

How  Tommy  Raised  the  Wind,  p.  43: 

Talk  about  the  wind  and  how  it  sometimes  blows  and  makes  queer  noises. 
Tell  the  children  to  read  silently  the  first  paragraph.  Then  ask  the  following 
questions:  One  night  the  wind  was  doing  something  at  our  door.  What 
was  it  doing?  Knocking.  What  kind  of  a  wind  was  it?  Only  a  little 
zephyr.  What  did  the  little  zephyr  say?  "Oh,  do  let  me  in,  do-o-o-o." 
Read  the  paragraph  and  tell  me  what  the  wind  was  doing  and  what  it  said. 
Have  the  paragraph  read  several  times.  Tell  the  class  to  study  the  next 
paragraph  for  a  moment,  and  then  question  for  the  thought.  When  you 
would  n't  let  the  little  zephyr  in,  how  did  it  grow?  Saucy.  It  grew  saucy 
and  did  what?  Blew  and  blew  and  said  something.  It  said  something  that 
sounded  like  what?  "You-o-o-o."  Read  the  paragraph.  How  did  the 
wind  feel  then?  Angry.  What  did  it  say  when  it  was  angry?  "I'm  going 

235 


to  get  my  big  brother,  and  then  see  what  you'll  do-o-o."  Continue  in  a 
similar  way  with  the  other  paragraphs.  When  a  lesson  is  easily  comprehended 
by  the  children,  very  little  questioning  is  necessary,  but  better  expression  is 
employed  by  the  majority  if  the  leading  thought  is  brought  to  their  attention 
by  questioning. 

PHONIC  WORK 

The  phonic  work  of  third  grade  is  a  broad  and  intelligent 
application  of  all  previous  points  —  the  teaching  of  more 
difficult  sounds,  phonograms,  and  simple  diacritical  marks. 

Marks  are  necessary  at  this  time  to  simplify  and  classify 
the  work  and  to  give  the  children  conscious  power  and 
independence.  They  also  prepare  for  the  intelligent  use  of 
the  dictionary  in  higher  grades,  and  make  the  transition  easy 
and  natural,  instead  of  a  leap  into  unknown  territory. 

In  teaching  phonics  the  following  points  should  be  remem- 
bered, because  much  of  the  success  of  the  work  depends  upon 
them: 

1.  Work  for  soft,  clear,  distinct  sounds. 

2.  Clinch  each  point  by  application  to  many  words. 

3.  Do  very  little  concert  work. 

4.  Make  the  work  interesting  by  variety,  and  by  showing 
its  value  in  making  out  new  words  and  in  using  the  dictionary. 

5.  Add  new  exercises  often  enough  to  avoid  monotony  and 
to  develop  powers. 

6.  Constant  review  and  a  broad  application  of  all  points 
are  necessary  to  sustain  interest. 

7.  Words  should  be  sounded  before  they  are  pronounced. 
(If  this  order  be  reversed,  results  are  seriously  affected.    Words 
are  sounded  in  order  that  they  may  be  pronounced.) 

AN  OUTLINE  FOR  PHONIC  LESSONS 

1.  Vocal  training  4.  Drill  and  application 

2.  Review  5.  Marking  and  making  out  new 

3.  New  work  words 

APPLICATION  OF  OUTLINE  TO  LONG  o    (Page  33) 

1.  Vocal  Training.  Ask  the  pupils  to  inhale  slowly  and  to 
exhale  by  counting  five.  Place  a  cross  upon  the  blackboard. 
Tell  the  pupils  to  inhale  and  say  long  o  with  lips  rounded  and 
projected,  making  the  sound  reach  the  cross.  Repeat  and  have 
them  try  to  project  the  tone  to  the  back  of  the  room. 

236 


Give  quotations  line  by  line  and  have  the  class  imitate,  as: 

Page  42: 

In  spring,  when  stirs  the  wind,  I  know 
That  soon  the  crocus  buds  will  show; 

In  summer,  when  it  softly  blows, 
Soon  red  I  know  will  be  the  rose. 
Page  46: 

Whom  do  you  want,  0  lonely  night? 
My  mother  told  me  long  ago. 
Page  87: 

Over  the  sea  in  a  white  winged  ship 
A  weary  journey  to  go. 

2.  Review.    Place  a  circle  upon  the  board  and  write  a, 
e,  u,  t,  d,  cl,  sh,  bl,  tie,  ing,  and  k,  within  it.    Call  them  prisoners 
and  ask  the  children  to  release  them  by  giving  the  sounds 
which  they  represent.    Sound  words  and  have  them  pro- 
nounced.    Write  a  list  of  words  upon  the  board  and  have  them 
sounded  and  long  a  and  e  marked. 

3.  New  Work.    Write  "over,"  "more,"  and  "old"  on  the 
board.     Have  them  sounded  and  lead  the  children  to  state 
that  o  says  its  name  in  these  words;  therefore,  it  is  long.    Ask 
them  how  a  and  e  are  marked  when  they  are  long,  and  how 
they  think  o  should  be  marked  to  show  that  it  has  the  long 
sound.    Then  mark  "over,"  "old,"  "more,"  and  other  words 
and  have  the  children  say,  "When  o  is  long  we  place  a  macron 
over  it." 

4.  Drill  and  Application.    Draw  several  butterflies  upon 
the  board  and  place  a  word  upon  each,  as:  core,  tore,  oar,  roll, 
home,  bone,  board.    Let  a  child  catch  as  many  as  he  can  by 
sounding  the  words  and  saying  o  is  long  in  "core"  and  should 
be  marked  with  a  macron  over  it.    As  soon  as  he  makes  a 
mistake,  another  child  takes  his  place.    Give  out  slips  upon 
which  words,   each  containing  long  o,  have  been  written. 
Have  them  sounded  and  the  words  pronounced. 

5.  Marking  and  Making  out  New  Words.    Place  on  the 
board  a  list  of  words  taken  from  the  reader.    Have  them 
sounded  and  let  the  children  tell  how  to  mark  the  sounds,  as: 
Place  a  macron  over  a  in  "late"  because  it  is  long;  mark  /  long 
in  "kind"  because  it  says  its  name. 

a.  Whisper  this  sentence:  Rats,  cats,  and  bats  like  the  dark.  Say  the 
short  vowels  in  a  high  pitch.  Express  fear  in  your  voice.  Express  happiness, 
command,  doubt,  excitement. 

237 


b.  Give  the  sounds  as  I  point  to  the  letters:    c,  o,  u,  k,  f,  oo.    Say  these 
sentences:    Sam's  sled  is  in  the  sun.    Cats  see  in  the  dark. 

c.  Teach  the  new  work  by  having  the  children  sound  "cats,"  "hats," 
"hens,"  calling  attention  to  the  last  sound.    Then  ask  them  what  letter  s 
sounds  like  in  those  words,  and  they  will  tell  you  5  sounds  like  z  in  the  last 
word.     Remind  them  that  it  sounds  like  2  only  sometimes. 

d.  Drill  upon  the  sound  and  the  mark  by  sounding  and  marking  words. 
All  other  marks  should  be  taught  in  a  similar  way. 

Use  the  marks  only  when  necessary,  and  discontinue  them 
as  soon  as  a  phonogram  or  word  is  memorized.  They  are 
only  crutches  and  should  be  understood  to  be  such  by  the 
pupils.  To  continue  marking  c  in  saucy  would  be  to  weaken 
the  work,  but  to  mark  it  when  the  work  is  first  presented  and 
to  review  until  thoroughly  understood,  is  the  key  to  inde- 
pendence. Day  by  day,  phonic  work  should  strengthen  and 
give  greater  conscious  power  to  all  children. 

Teachers  should  understand  children  well  enough  to  know 
that  the  pupil  should  not  be  told  the  particular  cause  that 
makes  a  child  lack  expression.  The  pupil  in  this  grade  is  often 
self-conscious,  often  timid.  Sometimes  he  does  not  know  how 
to  express  what  he  feels  (this  is  especially  true  of  foreigners), 
and  often  he  becomes  so  engrossed  in  the  mechanics  of  reading 
that  he  fails  utterly  to  give  out  the  thought.  Expression  drill, 
to  be  worth  while,  should  be  more  or  less  an  individual  drill. 
Only  a  few  statements  can  be  used  and  applied  to  an  entire 
class.  Through  a  realization  of  this,  parrot  forms  of  reading 
with  expression,  which  too  often  mark  the  lower  grades,  can 
be  avoided. 

Except  in  rare  cases  one  child  should  not  be  asked  to  read 
like  another. 


238 


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